The Chase
by september25
Summary: Nuke story. Alternate Universe, Out of Character, rated PG to Mature. Luke lives in Ca. He's a writer and puts an ad out for 2 roommates. Romance, angst and drama occur.
1. Chapter 1

SINCE I HAVE BEEN GETTING RUDE COMMENTS, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING, THEN READ AT YOUR OWN RISK FOR THE REASONS STATED BELOW.

**A) This story is A.U (alternate universe) = I explore the possibilities of pivotal changes made to characters' history, motivations or environment.**

**B) O.O.C.(out of character) = My characters have different personalities, behaviors, jobs, ages, etc....**

**C) I DON'T write cannon. Meaning of cannon = In terms of a**** fictional universe,**** it's a body of material that is considered to be "genuine" or "official", that can be directly referenced as, or as if it were, material produced by the original author or creator of a series. As defined at **

**THE CHASE******

**CHAPTER: 1 ******

**RATED****: PG, SLIGHT LANGUAGE**

**SUMMARY****: LUKE LIVES IN A TOWNHOUSE AND NEEDS 2 ROOMMATES**

**DISCLAIMER****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.**

**NOTE TO READERS****- To give you a visual, the townhouse is bi-levl. The bottom level is the basement/storage area. The higher level is the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. there is an open loft overlooking the living room and the front door can be seen from there as well.**

***A Special shout out to OnceInALifetime. My Beta Whom Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.******

___________________________________________________

Luke opened the newspaper and spread it on the dining room table. He searched the classified ads for apartments, then ran his finger down the columns and found the ad he paid for.

**Male looking for two male roommates to share to share a three bedroom / two bathroom spacious townhouse.  
Gated community with outdoor pool.  
$600.00/month including utilities.  
Available Now  
Call 555-4435 day/eves**

As soon as he finished checking the ad for mistakes, his cell phone rang.

"Hello, Luke Snyder speaking." he answered.

"Yea, I wanna know about the place for rent," A male's voice inquired through the phone.

"Sure." Luke smiled. "Could I get your name first?"

"It's Jamie." the young sounding man replied.

"What would you like to know Jamie?" Luke asked, curious as to what the man would say.

"You got a washer and dryer in the place?" he asked with that stereotypical 'surfer/valley boy' accent.

Luke nodded. Realizing that Jamie couldn't see him he answered, "Yes, on the first floor. They're new too. They're the ones you load from the front."

"Air conditioning?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, all the amenities." Luke answered.

"I wanna see it." Jamie demanded, "Can I come now- ya got time?"

Luke looked around the spacious area. He just needed to straighten the house quickly; then it would be presentable. He wasn't a neat freak or overly meticulous, but he desperately needed roommates and he wanted the place to look presentable. He couldn't afford to pay the full $1,800 a month in Southern California.

"Sure come now. The address is-" Luke recited it and closed his phone. He quickly dashed through the rooms and tidied up. He straightened the pictures of his family that were placed on the mantle the fireplace, then he waited nervously for his potential roommate to arrive.

Luke was pacing nervously when a rather important fact dawned on him. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed and ran to the kitchen. He grabbed the phone and called Hank, the security guard at the gate. Luke told him to let in a man named Jamie.

"He's right here arguing with me, Mr. Snyder." Hank chuckled. "I'll let him know he may pass through."

"Thank you." Luke replied, and ran a hand down his face.

Soon he answered the door to a nineteen-ish year old bronzed blond who was wearing flip flops, swim trunks and a poncho. He looked rather irate.

_'Great I royally screwed up!'_ Luke thought, but stuck his hand out to be shaken anyways. With a smile he said, "I'm Luke Snyder, nice to meet you."

Jamie looked at Luke, shook his hand and nodded at him. "S'up?" he asked with his eyebrows drawn together.

"Come in." Luke said and moved away from the door. "Sorry about Hank, the security guard. It's my fault. I forgot to call down about your arrival."

Jamie entered the townhouse and scoped out the living area. "Chill dude, it's all cool now." he reassured Luke, and walked around. His eyes took everything in. "Nice man," he nodded and walked to the sliding glass doors. He strolled outside, leaned against the wrought iron railing and looked down at the large rectangular pool. It was nearly void of swimmers. Most of the people were not in the water, but were women in bikinis tanning on lounge chairs. "That view is choice dude!" Jamie turned to Luke and grinned.

Luke smiled politely. Was he supposed to tell potential renters he was gay? He didn't think so. Maybe just the serious ones or maybe not at all.

They walked back inside, and Jamie pointed to a staircase to the right of them that led to a loft overlooked the living room. "What's up there?" he asked as he eyed Luke.

"That's my bedroom slash work area, and the other bathroom."

"Where are the other bedrooms man?" Jamie asked with his foot tapping on the carpeted floor.

"Through here." Luke said and led him past the dining room and kitchen. He pointed to the bathroom on the right and continued down the hall. "There's a bedroom on the right and one on the left. They're the same size and are furnished similarly except one room is painted green, and other room is blue."

Jamie opened the door on his right and peeked in. "I hate green." he stated, then went across the hall and walked into the other room. "Cool! Blue like the ocean." He looked around and opened drawers and the closet. "How much per month, again?" he asked.  
"It's $600, including utilities." Luke answered as he watched Jamie check everything over with a fine toothed comb.

"Would ya take $500?" Jamie asked, looking out the window at the view.

Luke shook his head and replied regretfully, "I'm sorry but no, I can't really afford to cut a hundred."

"Bummer!" Jamie grumbled.

"If it's not what you're looking for-"

Jamie twirled around and said, "It's bitchin' man. I want it. Where do I sign?"

"Really? You're sure?" Luke asked happily.

"Sure as shit dude!" Jamie replied and walked out to the kitchen. He looked around at the various stainless steel appliances with black accents. "Man this is off the wall!"

Luke agreed. "Top of the line."

"You decorated the place?" Jamie asked.

Luke replied, "No, my.... the owner, Lucinda Walsh, owns the townhouses in this community."

"Hm, she's got expensive taste." Jamie replied.

Luke took out a piece of paper and a pen and said, "Write your name and number here, and then a few references. I'll reserve the blue bedroom for you. As soon as I have the proper papers drawn up I'll call - after you sign, you can move in." Luke watched as Jamie wrote his name and number on the paper with his left hand. Suddenly, Luke said, "Oh, I need two months rent right after you sign the one year lease."

"No prob dude. See ya later." Jamie said and left.

Luke closed the door and shook his head. "A surfer?" he asked no one and laughed to himself. "I think I just got stupider listening to him talk. Yes, I did. Stupider isn't even a word.... or is it? At any rate, I most definitely got dumber."

___________________________________________

Sunday, two days later...

Many men called about the ad, and quite a few came to tour the townhouse, but none of them wanted to rent it. 'The place wasn't near the ocean,' a few men complained. One or two people didn't like the "snobbish vibe" the area gave off. Most said the residency wasn't what they were looking for. The last man stated that he wasn't expecting such a young roommate. He didn't want to live with someone who was "going to party and make noise every night." Luke tried to explain that he wasn't that type of person, but the older man shook his head and left. None of Jamie's references called him back, even though he left messages on their machines. Luke could justify it by telling himself that it was the weekend and people were busy, but he was pretty sure Jamie lied about wanting the place due to the price. The nineteen year old probably couldn't afford to live here.

Discouraged by the lack of interest of in the townhouse, Luke laid on his couch and tried to take a nap. He was just drifting off when his phone rang. He sat up and grabbed it off of the oak coffee table.

He tried to sound alert and awake. "Luke Snyder, hello?"

"Hi. I'm calling about the rooms for rent. Is one still available?" a smooth voice asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is one room left. I hope you like green." Luke chuckled to himself.

"Huh?" that smooth voice asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Oh, the bedroom that hasn't been taken is painted a light sea-green color." Luke smiled.

"I don't mind green. When can I see it? Are you busy today?" the man replied.

"Nope; I'm free all day. What time is good for you.... umm, I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name." Luke said.

"Sorry, I'm Taylor." the man replied. "Say... uh, I know there's a law against discrimination and all, but do you care if I'm--"

"Black?" Luke asked.

"No." Taylor said in a sober manner. He wasn't sure he liked Luke, or his sense of humor - if he was joking at all.

"Oh, I think I understand what you mean." Luke nodded as what Taylor was trying to say hit him.

"Yeah, _oh_." Taylor said in a snippy way. He'd had enough of jerks who didn't want him as a roommate. "So?"

"It's cool. I'm gay myself, so no worries there."

Taylor sighed with relief. In a nicer tone, he said "Thank god! You don't know how many roommates I've had that have kicked me out. They get away with it because they make up some excuse after they find out. I just decided to get it out of the way right off the bat so that there are no secrets."

Luke smiled. "I'm glad you told me."

"Me too!" Taylor said. "I can be there within thirty minutes."

"Sounds good! I'll call the gate to let them know that you're on you're way; just say you're here to see the townhouse and Hank, the security guard, will let you in." Luke said, and gave Taylor the address to the townhouse.

"See you then Luke. Bye."

___________________________________________________-

"Where do you want me to put this suitcase?" Luke asked, hefting a rather heavy bag into the green bedroom.

"On the bed, please," Taylor replied, laughing at the strained look on Luke's face. "Here, let me help you." the dark haired, fair skinned, blue eyed, twenty-six year old said as he helped Luke lift the bulging bag onto the bed.

Luke stood up with a groan, reached his hand behind his body and placed it on his lower back. "Crap!" he complained.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Taylor asked with concern, turning Luke around.

"I think I might have pulled a muscle." Luke said, his voice straining.

Taylor moved Luke's hand away and said, "Let me."

Grabbing Luke's waist, he moved his thumbs up and down Luke's lower back to work the muscles on either side of his spine.

"Ahhhh...." Luke moaned. "That hit the spot!"

When Taylor finished the massage, Luke turned around and grinned. "Thanks so much." he said.

Taylor unzipped his suitcase as he answered Luke. "No problem. I studied massage therapy at the university as an alternative medicine. I'm a massage physical therapist now. Mostly for children." he said as he unpacked his clothes, and placed them in a dresser, then walked over to the closet to hang clothes in there.

Luke sat on the bed and observed Taylor, making mental notes. Taylor was the same height as himself, but more slight.

"What do you do for fun?" Luke asked out of curiosity.

Taylor looked away from the closet and said, "I like to read and spend quiet nights at home during the week. On weekends I like to go out clubbing- but don't worry, I'm not a vicious drunk and I won't have fifty people coming over to party and trash the place."

Luke laughed, causing Taylor to smile at the attractive blond before he turned to finish hanging up his dress shirts.

* * *

"So," Taylor said in the kitchen. "Who is this Jamie guy, and why hasn't he moved in yet?"

Luke finished chopping the tomato for their salad as he spoke. "I have no idea. I tried calling, but his voice mail says, 'Hey dude, I'm at the beach diggin' the waves. Leave a message man.'" Luke laughed when Taylor chuckled.

"Can you afford to pay double your own rent for another month?" Taylor asked.

Luke nodded, "Yeah, it's no problem. I know the landlord and she is really nice. She'll give me a few days to come up with the extra rent money." Luke smiled, thinking that his grandmother would let him in the townhouse stay free of charge, but Luke wanted to pay. He was an adult, and he could handle the responsibility. He didn't want to answer to anyone.

Taylor spread grated cheese on top of a large bowl of lettuce and vegetables. "What do you do for a living, Luke?"

Luke glanced at Taylor and held his breath. "I... um, I write." he looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Taylor picked up the bowl while Luke grabbed plates, forks and the other necessities. He followed the dark haired man to the dining room table and sat down. They used the salad tongs to load their plates, then added dressing and croutons.

As they were eating, Taylor asked, "What do you write?"

Luke looked at a slice of cucumber on his plate and picked it up. He took a bite and replied awkwardly, "Uh, books." Luke then took a long drink of ice water.

Taylor looked at Luke, sensing something was amiss. He pried, "What kind of books."

Luke set his glass down and coughed into his fist. He was beet red now. He mumbled, "Gay porn."

Taylor looked shocked, then laughed. "That's great!! Really?" he asked, staring at Luke.

"Yes." Luke stated, his blush deepening in color. His cheeks were burning, and he was afraid to look up.

"Hey, that's cool, Luke. I'm sure you're good. Um, **are** you good?" Taylor asked, holding his fork to his mouth.

"I've got a publisher and a contract so yes, I'd say I'm good." Luke smiled with a corner of his mouth upturned.

"Luke Snyder, huh?" Taylor commented, chewing on a carrot. "I Don't recall an author by that name."

Luke replied, "Doesn't surprise me. I have a pen name- Kyle Evans."

Taylor shook his head and said, "It sounds sort of familiar. What have you written?"

Luke finished chewing and swallowed. "Oh, where to start. Okay, how about, _'Wicked Pleasures'_, '_Between the Sheets'_, or my most popular, _'In Too Deep'_- just to name a few."

"YOU wrote _'In Too Deep'_'?" Taylor said incredulously. "Oh my god! That isn't porn, that's like hard-core smut!"

Luke ducked his head. He tried to explain, "I know. I was especially horny or something during that time in my life."

Taylor laughed loudly, then said, "I think it was one of the best books I've ever read; I couldn't put it down! I read it all in one day. I had such a hard-on reading about those three college guys. I had to take several showers that day! That's such a great book."

Luke swallowed and looked up to see that Taylor was being serious. Luke smiled, happy that he had a fan living with him, and not someone who was grossed out about the contents of one of his dirtier books. His publisher received quite a bit of hate mail with that one book- from religious groups to 'straight' people who hadn't even read any of his novels, but were basing their opinions around the publicity the novel had received in the gay community. Luckily, Luke remained anonymous behind the name Kyle Evans and no one knew how to contact him other than through his publishing agency.

"I'm glad you liked it." Luke smiled.

"Is there going to be a sequel?" Taylor asked, leaning on his elbows.

"No." Luke chuckled. "That was their one rowdy night."

"So what are you working on now, or are you not allowed to say?" Taylor asked, taking Luke's plate and stacking it on top of his. He stood up as Luke replied.

"I've started another book. The title is _'Behaving Badly''_."

"Hmm. Sounds intriguing. What is it about?"

Luke helped Taylor clear the table. "It's about two men who are in a relationship, but they cheat on each other."

"Uh-oh, sounds angsty." Taylor loaded the dishwasher and turned to Luke.

"The hitch is that they are cheating on each other with the same guy, but they don't know it. One of them comes home and finds his boyfriend and his lover together in bed." Luke smiled.

"And what happens?" Taylor asked with interest.

Luke shook his head and answered, "You'll have to wait to find out. It should be out the beginning of next year."

Taylor pushed Luke's shoulder. "You tease! Next year is so far away!" he complained, then smirked.

"I should go try Jamie again." Luke pursed his lips in thought.

Taylor nodded. "Leave a message that if he doesn't call by the end of the week, you're renting out the other bedroom. You don't have anything in writing stating you have an obligation to him do you?"

"No, but I said I'd give him a chance to-" Luke's cell phone rang at that moment, cutting his sentence short. He looked at the counter where his phone was lying. Picking it up, he glanced at the caller ID; shrugging at the unfamiliar number. "I'm going to take this in the living room. Talk to you later, Taylor."

"Yep, later." Taylor replied, heading to his bedroom to read.

After the fourth ring, Luke answered, "Hello, Luke speaking."

"Oh hi! I almost hung up."

"Then it's a good thing I got to you in time," Luke replied, rolling his eyes. He heard a soft chuckle, then a deep voice speak.

"I know I'm probably too late, but do you still have a room for rent? I have to be out of my current place by next week because my roommate wants his fiancé to move in and she and I don't get along. I really, really need a place. It's hard to find something in this area for the price you're asking. Please say you have one room left?"

Luke frowned. He wanted to give this guy the room, mainly because he sounded so desperate, but he did want to give Jamie the chance to step up too.

The guy heard the silence on the other end of the phone and said, "I freaked you out, didn't I, giving you my life story and all. I'm sorry, Luke."

"No, it's okay. I have someone who took one bedroom, and the other one isn't occupied but-"

"Great! Can I see it?" The man interrupted.

"Wait." Luke held up his hand as he talked, as if the caller could see him. "The guy who checked out the other room hasn't called me back yet. I'm waiting for him first to see if he is still interested in it."

"Oh...." the voice sounded down.

Luke heard his disheartened voice and said, "Look. I haven't heard from him in almost a week. If I don't hear from him by Friday, it's yours."

"Really? But, what if I don't like it?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, do you want to see it, or wait until I'm sure you can move in?"

"I'll wait. That way I don't get my hopes up if this other guy shows up. I'll call back on Friday. Thanks, bye."

"Wait!" Luke heard the dial tone and closed his phone. He muttered, "Who was that?"


	2. Chapter 2

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 2

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER

SUMMARY: LUKE GETS ANOTHER ROOMMATE

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.[font]**[/b[/font]**

* * *

****

It was Friday night and Luke was sitting at his computer in the open loft above the living room. He had been writing a chapter for his book 'Behaving Badly' when Jamie called with the news. The surfer didn't want the room after all because he'd found a place near the ocean for less rent.

Luke set his phone down after he hung up and stared at the words on his computer screen. No one else had called in the past 2 days. It seemed that nobody had an interest in seeing the bedroom. He sat back in his chair, hearing Taylor laughing at some sitcom he was watching in the living room.

Luke wished that the guy who had called earlier in the week would **phone. **_He said he would call today, he but didn't. Maybe he found somewhere else to live? Maybe I should lower the rent and take on the bulk of it? This place is great, but maybe the price is the big turn off. _****

Luke stood up and looked over the loft's half wall. He saw Taylor lying on the couch watching tv, wearing only lounge pants, and eating an apple.

Luke slightly smiled and thought, _Wow, he's really attractive. Hmm... I could use his description for one of my characters. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.'_****

"Taylor!" Luke called out, leaning over the wall while he looked at his roommate.

Taylor sat up and looked towards the loft. "Yea? Is the tv too loud?" he asked with his blue eyes questioning Luke.

"No, not at all." Luke replied. He swept his hair back and asked, "Would you mind if I describe one of my characters using your image?"

Taylor squinted at Luke and asked unsure, "Describe me how?"

"You know, your body type, face, hair.... not personality or anything personal." Luke smiled.

"Oh. Sure go ahead." Taylor grinned, then added, "Make me really well hung though." He laughed at his own joke.

"Will do!" Luke chuckled and sat down- Taylor and the living room now out of his view. Luke began typing out the description of his character for his book. He was focused and in 'the zone' when his phone rang. He looked at it and shook his head, thinking, _I have to write this while it's fresh in my head._****

Thankfully the ringing stopped and Luke's concentration was returning.

_Where was I? Describing my character. Ok, think about Taylor. Dark wavy hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. His body is youthful, lean, but sculpted. He's __tall and very- shit! The freakin' phone.... again?'_****

This time Luke grabbed it and answered impatiently instead of his usual, kind, formal greeting.

"Yea?!"

"Luke?" a somewhat worried voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?" Luke asked in a sharp way. He heard a sigh then a deep voice.

"I'm the guy that called earlier in the week about the apartment. It's Friday, and I am calling back like I said I would. I was wondering if the other person decided to rent the place from you or not."

Luke's voice softened up. "Oh! Sorry. I was working and you caught me off guard. I didn't mean to be so rude."

"No problem." The voice seemed to smile. "So? Is it taken?"

"No. He didn't want it so it's available if you're still interested. I mean obviously you are otherwise you wouldn't have called." _'Shut up Luke! You're rambling like an idiot!'_****

The voice said excitedly, "Yea, I'm interested. I know it's late, but can I come by now? I have to make sure I like the place. If not I have to rush to find something else." _'Shut up! He doesn't care!'_****

"Now is fine. The address is-" Luke told the caller the address. "How long will it take you to get here?" Luke asked looking over the loft. He just needed to tidy up the area; then he remembered he had to do the dishes. Taylor and he decided after supper that they were going to leave them for tomorrow.

"About 10 minutes?" He hesitated and asked, "Is that alright?"

"That's fine." Luke answered.

"Ok, see you soon Luke. Bye." Then there was a click and a dial tone.  
**  
"Wait!" Luke said then swore. "Damn! What is this guy's name?" he called the security guard on his cell to let him know that someone was coming to look at the townhouse, then he set the phone on his desk and bounded down the carpeted, narrow stairs.**

"Taylor! Pick up the living room. I'll load the dishwasher. We have a prospective tenant coming in ten minutes!" Luke shouted excitedly.

Taylor stood up and stretched. "Relax Luke." he said as he scratched his semi-hairy chest. "The guy isn't going to judge us on whether we can keep a clean house or not." He plumped a pillow anyway, picked up his shirt and put it on.

"I know." Luke called from the kitchen. "But you know what they say about first impressions."

"What happened to the surfer dude? Too busy hangin' ten?" Taylor asked as he carried his empty water glass into the kitchen and handed it to Luke.

Luke chuckled and put the glass on the top rack of the dishwasher before closing the door. He turned to Taylor with a smile and looked into his eyes, then down to his lips. "He found a cheap place near the ocean." Luke stated, staring at Taylor's lips when he responded.

"That's good. I don't really speak 'surfer' and I can't stand the feel of gritty sand in the carpet or the smell of dead fish on people." Taylor grinned at Luke and said quite loudly, "Hey!"

Luke looked up, startled at the sudden sound. "Huh?"

Taylor laughed. "I was talking and I'm sure you weren't listening. Do I have something on my mouth?" he smirked and pretended to wipe his face with his hand.

Luke licked his lips and shook his head as he blushed; after all, he'd been caught staring. He answered with a quiet, "No, you don't. I was thinking about something. Sorry. What were you saying?"

**"Never mind." Taylor smiled at Luke, then with a turn of his head he said, "Doorbell."**

"Oh!" Luke exclaimed and panicked. He spoke rapidly, "Can you get it? I want to clean the downstairs bathroom. Show him around for me. I'll be out as fast as I can tidy up in there."

"Sure." Taylor said with an easy going tone; walking to the front door.

Luke dashed to the bathroom. He closed and locked the door, looked around and sighed. There was so much to do. He scrubbed the toilet, wiped down the shower and tub, cleaned the mirror and sink. Then he washed the tile on the floor and arranged the throw rug in front of the sink. He changed the hand towel and looked around before spraying cinnamon scented air freshener into the air. He quickly waved his hands around to diffuse the mist.

Satisfied with the end result, he opened the door and heard Taylor's rich, deep laughter waft from the blue bedroom to where he was standing in the hall.

"Nope, he works from here- in the loft." Taylor said from the bedroom. "What do you do?"

A male's voice answered, "I'm a photographer. Currently I work with two magazines. One is fulltime and the other just temporary. I also take odd jobs here and there for the exposure. No pun intended."

Taylor asked, "Which magazines?"

Luke walked into the bedroom, unannounced, and said, "Taylor?" then he stopped. From the back, Luke saw the male that might rent the bedroom from him. He was as tall as Taylor and his hair was just as dark from behind. He had on shorts which showed off his calf muscles. He had on a white wife beater that showed his tan and muscular biceps. Luke watched him slowly turn around.

The male smiled at Luke and said, "Hey there. You must be Luke." and held his hand out.

**"Yes. I'm Luke. Nice to see... meet you." Luke blushed.**

Taylor jumped in and introduced them to each other, "Luke, this is Noah Mayer. Noah, Luke Snyder."

Noah shook Luke's hand with a tight grip. He looked around and stated, "I like the bedroom and the other rooms are really nice too. The rent is decent, but are you guys the house party type or do you go out to have fun?"

Taylor answered Noah first, "I go out to have fun- bars or clubs."

Noah grinned at Taylor and said, "Cool! I can tell we'll be hanging out a lot! I love clubbing and dancing."

"I usually stay in and work. I don't go out often. I'm kind of a loner." Luke replied looking at Noah, then at Taylor.

Noah's attention was brought back to the blond, "What type of work do you do?" he asked.

"Um, I write." Luke said, not wanting Noah to know what he did- especially if he was straight. He may be repulsed.

Noah chuckled deeply and said, "What do you write?"

Sensing how uncomfortable Luke was, Taylor replied, "He writes stories. So Noah, what do you think about the place? Ready to sign and move in?"

Noah nodded and smiled. "Yes Taylor, I think I will. I like it and it's in the vicinity where I work."

Luke grinned. "Great! I have the paperwork here already. I was expecting Jamie to sign, but we know how that turned out."

They walked to the kitchen single file. Once there, Luke took out the pen and the contract for the lease and slid it across the counter. "Oops! I need the first two months rent. Is that a problem?"

**Noah looked up after he signed and said, "No. Can I write a check?"**

"That's fine." Luke said and looked at the lease to make sure he signed it and it was legitimate. "When do you think you'll move in?"

Taylor looked at Noah and smiled. "I can help out if you need it. I'm here all weekend."

"Me too." Luke added.

Noah shrugged. "I was hoping sooner, like, tonight?"

Taylor's mouth dropped open. "Well that's fast." he laughed.

"You are fast!" Luke said. "Um, you move fast... no..."

Noah laughed and said, "I know what you're trying to say Luke. You know, for a writer, you sure can't get your thoughts across very well."

Luke frowned and muttered embarrassedly, "Taylor can help you move in. I forgot, I'm in the middle of writing a chapter. Bye."

Taylor chuckled and watched Luke walk away. He turned back to Noah and asked, "Well, how much do you have to move?"

Noah counted off items on his fingers as he answered, "Just my clothes, camera equipment, some pictures, knick knacks and other personal items."

"Ok then, lets go." Taylor said.

Taylor spoke with concern in his voice as they neared Noah's truck, "Hey Noah? I want to be upfront and honest with you about something, so if you don't want to hang out I'll understand."

Noah stopped walking and faced his new roommate. He looked at Taylor, staring at his blue eyes and fair skin, his lean body and lips. He asked curiously, "What is it?"

Taylor wasn't ashamed at all, but he wanted Noah to know in case he **was one of those people that looked down on gay people. He looked Noah right in his sapphire colored eyes and said, "I'm gay."**

A smile grew on Noah's lips. "Really?"

Taylor nodded, "Yes. I wouldn't joke about something as serious as this."

Noah reached his hand out and put it on Taylor's arm. He said, "It's cool T, can I call you T?"

Taylor shrugged. "Sure. I don't care as long as you don't call me a derogatory name."

"Oh I wouldn't! I've been called my share of names myself. I'm gay too." Noah said and dropped his hand so he could unlock the truck's door. They left for Noah's old apartment to pack up and move him into the townhouse.

* * *

****

Luke heard his two roommates come back; laughing and talking as they moved through the house. It sounded like they were old friends already. Luke stood up from behind his desk and looked over the wall of his loft and saw them carrying boxes of Noah's belongings.

_'He sure made friends with Taylor fast. I hope we all get along. I have to think before I talk. I sounded like an idiot when I spoke to Noah. For him to say that I don't speak well for a writer says a lot about me. God that was embarrassing.'_****

"Hey T," Luke heard Noah call out. "I have a thirst for a Corona. I'll buy since you helped me move my stuff." Noah said.

Luke saw Noah come into view in the living room.

Taylor soon stepped into the room too. He looked up at Luke and grinned. "Luke! Let's hit the club!"  
**  
Noah looked up and smiled at Luke. "But you buy your own drink. T helped me move and you didn't."**

Luke looked at Taylor and said, "T?"

Taylor chuckled and said, "Yea. I guess Taylor is too long of a name for Noah to remember."

Noah laughed and faced Taylor. "Come on. Let's go."

"Coming?" Taylor looked up at Luke.

"Uhh..." Luke stalled. _'Should I? Noah seems to want to have Taylor to himself. I wonder if Noah knows Taylor is gay?'_****

Noah put his hands on his hips and asked impatiently. "Well?"

Luke drew his eyebrows together and said anxiously, "I guess could go for a little bit. Let me shut down my computer first." Luke looked down at his clothes. "Let me change too."

Taylor nodded to Luke, but Noah rolled his eyes playfully at the blond. "Hurry it up!" Noah called out to Luke, who dashed to his bathroom in the loft before quickly deciding to jump into the shower.

A good twenty minutes later Luke emerged and walked down the steps, seeing his two roommates sitting on the couch, laughing and talking.

Noah turned and saw Luke. "About time." he teased, "What did you do? Get a makeover?"

Luke stared at the attractive brunette and said dryly, "It's obvious I took a shower. Let's go."

"I'll drive." Taylor said and dug his keys out of his front pocket.

"Shotgun!" Luke and Noah shouted at the same time and looked at each other questioningly.  
**  
Taylor looked back and forth at them and said, "You two are like kids! Okay, Noah can have the front first, then Luke can have it on the way home." he smiled and led the way out the door.**

Luke started to head out the door after Taylor, but Noah pulled Luke back. He looked at Taylor and said, "I want to speak to Luke. We'll be right out."

Taylor shrugged and said with a smile, "Fine, but don't be too long."

Noah closed the door and faced Luke. He asked, "Are you interested in him?"

Luke raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"You're gay, aren't you? I've seen how you look at him, and at me for that matter." Noah crossed his arms and smiled smugly, having figured Luke out already.

"Yes, I am gay. So?" Luke replied, sticking his chin out.

"So are you interested in him?" Noah asked again. "Do you want to date him or just... screw?"

Luke gasped at Noah's blunt question, but he kind of admired it too. He answered, "I'm sort of interested. I mean look at him. He's gorgeous."

"He is." Noah agreed with a short nod of his head.

Luke narrowed his eyes, "Are YOU interested in him like that?"

Noah shrugged a shoulder and stared at Luke's brown eyes. "Yea, I guess I am, so maybe you should step down because he and I have more in common."

Luke smiled, then scoffed, "I guess we'll see won't we?"

"What do you mean?" Noah tilted his head curiously.  
**  
Luke put his hands on his hips and stated, "I mean, I think I'll try my damnedest to get a date with him- starting tonight."**

Noah laughed, "I can dance, can you? You practically admitted you're a hermit."

"I have more to offer Taylor than the Macarena." Luke wrinkled his nose at Noah.

Noah began to laugh. "Macarena? Seriously?! No one does that except at weddings! You may as well have suggested doing the freakin' Chicken Dance!" He continued to laugh as Luke reddened.

"Fine!" Luke raised his voice over the laughter filling the living room. "I can't dance, but I am a great conversationalist."

"Really now?" Noah patted Luke's shoulder as he snickered. He said sarcastically, "You really impressed me tonight with your talented way of speaking."

Luke backed away and said, "It's on Noah. I'll get a date with him first."

"No this won't work, you could just ask him for a date. That's too easy." Noah said, shaking his head and teased, "He'd give you a sympathy date."

"Shut up!" Luke chuckled. He tapped his chin while he though of a way to make this fair, then said, "Ah ha! Get him to ask one of us out!"

"Sounds intriguing, BUT we can't mention what we're doing or pressure him for a date. He has to ask one of us of his own free will. It's got to be on the up and up."

Luke agreed excitedly, "Definitely. Whoever gets a date with him first wins. So, when do we start?"

"Tonight, now!" Noah said and grinned, "I get to sit in the front seat first. He already likes me more."  
**  
"No he doesn't." Luke countered as he joked, "He chose you because dogs sit in the front seat of the car, hanging their heads out the front window, feeling the wind on their face. That's what he thinks of you."**

Noah gasped and let out a short laugh "Oh, you bitch! Well.... he wanted you in the backseat because it's dark back there and he can ignore you and not see you."

Luke gave him an eye roll and said, "That was seriously lame. Anyways, you seem to have forgotten that I've spent a week with him already. He knows more about me than he does about you."

"Hmmm... and yet he still hasn't asked you out, huh?" Noah smiled smugly. "I have this in the bag."

"Not until you have a date with him, which you won't because he and I will be out having the time of our lives." Luke smirked happily at Noah.

Noah mumbled, "Yea, doing the Hokey Pokey." then he chuckled, "Lets go."

At the club....

Noah, Taylor and Luke sat around a table talking and having a few drinks.

Noah looked at Luke and grinned sneakily, then he said to Taylor, "Hey T, lets go dance."

Taylor grinned and stood up. "Love to!" he turned and looked at Luke, "Oh, will you be ok by yourself?"

**Luke scowled at Noah, but smiled at Taylor and nodded. "Yes, thank you."**

Noah grabbed Taylor's hand and led him to the center of the dance floor. Luke could see them dancing dangerously close to each other. He sighed and looked into his brandy sour. He mixed it with the stir stick and bit the maraschino cherry off the end. When he looked back up, he saw Taylor had turned around and Noah's hands were running up and down his body.

Luke's eyes widened and he gasped. _'He's not playing fair! He can't touch him like that! Touch him? Groping is more like it. He's feeling him up!'_****

Luke clenched his teeth and stared at Noah. _'He does have nice moves. He really can dance- Taylor too. I wish I knew how to. Hmm... I have an idea.'_****

Taylor and Noah came back to the table smiling and talking. Before they could take a seat, Luke stood up and faced Taylor. He asked, "Taylor? Could, um, I feel so stupid asking...." Luke looked down, hopefully looking and sounding desperate enough to get his attention.

Taylor reached out and touched Luke's arm. "What is it? Do you want to leave?"

Luke looked up into his blue eyes, but now they were just regular blue. Luke turned and looked at Noah. His eyes were blue also, but so blue. Sparkling, but tranquil looking. The look in them was enjoyment, which sent a prickling sensation up and down Luke's back. He shook it off and faced Taylor and asked, "I was wondering. Would you teach me how to dance?"

Noah saw through Luke's game and volunteered, "I can show you Luke." he smiled knowingly. "Come with me."

Taylor said to Noah, "It's alright, I don't mind."

Luke walked behind Taylor as they headed to the dance floor. Luke quickly turned around to see Noah staring at him. Luke wiggled his fingers as he waved, and stuck out his tongue playfully. _'I am so gonna win this bet! Noah doesn't have a chance. I can play my weaknesses and Taylor __will be more than willing to help me.'_****

Once they were positioned on the dance floor, Taylor said, "First, you want to go slow and find the rhythm."

"How?" Luke asked, facing his roommate.

Taylor smiled at the look of innocence on Luke's face and answered, "Feel the beat of the music and gradually, as you gain confidence, move a little more. Start with your hips."

Noah watched Luke standing still on the dance floor talking to Taylor. He laughed to himself until he saw Taylor come very close to Luke's body and put his hands on the blond's hips to show him how to move sensually. He opened his mouth in shock. _'That cheater got Taylor to touch him!'_****

After their dance, Taylor and Luke came back to the table. Luke smiled modestly and said, "So Noah, did you see me? Taylor said I did well for a beginner."

Noah let out a discouraged sigh and nodded. Then he decided to joke around with the cute blond. "Yea, I saw you. I didn't know the 'Robot' dance made a comeback."

Taylor covered his mouth and laughed. He looked at Luke and apologized, but began to laugh again. "Noah," Taylor said, "you crack my ass!"

Luke muttered, "He is an ass crack." and chuckled to himself.

Noah shot Luke a satisfied grin because Taylor laughed at his joke. He decided to ask Taylor to dance again.

"I'm going to relax for a while." Taylor declined and took a seat. He looked up at his roommates and suggested, "Why don't you dance together?"

Luke looked at Noah and said, "I don't know."

**Noah grabbed him by the arm and said, "Lets show 'em all how it's done. Just follow my lead and DON'T put your left leg in then shake it all about either, because that's NOT what it's all about." he teased, making the blond laugh.**

Luke faced Noah on the dance floor. He watched Noah for a little while before imitating him. As soon as Noah saw that Luke had some semblance of rhythm, he came close and wrapped one arm loosely around Luke's waist and pulled him close enough so the blond could straddle his leg. Then Noah took Luke's arm and draped it over his shoulder.

Luke swallowed hard. Noah was exuding sexuality as he moved provocatively. Luke chanced a look up at Noah's mouth and saw a small smile playing at the brunette's lips. Luke's gaze traveled upward and looked into his eyes. He found his voice and asked, "Is this dirty dancing?"

Noah shook his head with disbelief. Had Luke been hiding under a rock? "No, Luke it's... just dance." he suppressed a laugh. _'Poor Luke. Keeping himself up in his loft, naïve and unworldly. I'm surprised he's even out here. The boy has guts, I'll give him that. Hmm... and nice green and brown hazel eyes.'_****

Luke became uncomfortable with the intense look of lust in Noah's eyes and quickly looked away.

Noah sensed Luke's discomfort and smiled to himself. _'I thought his eyes were just plain brown. Huh. Nice lips too.'_** Noah looked up and down at Luke's body now that he was closer than he'd ever been to the blond. **_'Actually, he's pretty hot. Too bad we have a bet to date Taylor. I'd like to know Luke intimately from the 'inside'. I wonder if he's a bottom or a top. I can't tell. Taylor has 'top' stamped on his forehead.'_****

Luke felt Noah's body get even closer. So close that his groin was moving against Noah's hip as he danced. Luke licked his lips as his cock was being rubbed and stimulated. Luke turned and made eye contact with Noah again. He opened his mouth to speak, but the song ended and changed to a more upbeat one.

**Noah removed his hand and stepped away from Luke.**

Luke stood still, staring at Noah. _'I feel like I was just felt up or something.... like I was getting dry humped without the fulfilling ending. I was ripped off!'_** Luke grinned. **_Too bad we're betting on who can get Taylor first. I wouldn't kick Noah out of my bed._****

They walked back to the table and noticed that Taylor was talking to some guy who had sat next to him. Luke took a seat on the other side of Taylor while Noah stared intimidatingly at the intruder. He was intent on winning this bet and didn't want any other competition.

The un-introduced man got up and left without looking back. Taylor watched him go and looked at his roommates.

"Looks like you both had a good time on the dance floor." he grinned. "You share some kind of chemistry."

Noah frowned. He wasn't going to get Taylor if the guy thought he had a thing for Luke. He replied, "Not at all. We were just dancing. I was showing him how."

Luke added, "Yea, but I don't think he's as good of a teacher as he thinks. Care to show me another dance Taylor?"

Taylor nodded and stood up. "Sure Luke."

Luke snickered at the look of surprise on Noah's face.

Noah watched them go. _'That blond is sneaky, that's for sure. I better step up my game and I think I know how!_****

* * *

****

At the townhouse....

The three men walked into the home and yawned. Noah shed his shirt **immediately, showing off his long, lean, tan and toned torso.**

Luke's mouth dropped open. He couldn't compete with Noah in the muscle department. _'He's a god! Shoot! I have to think of something to get Taylor interested in me! But what?'_****

Taylor looked at Noah and said, "Wow, you must work out. You have a really nice body Noah." he smiled politely.

Noah looked at Luke, then at Taylor and said, "Thanks, I hit the gym almost every day before I go to work."

"What do you do?" Luke asked.

Noah faced Luke and answered, "I'm a photographer at a magazine."

Taylor looked at the two men engaged in a conversation and said, "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Oh wait," Luke said, "I wanted to ask you something."

Taylor turned around and yawned. "Can't it wait until morning? I am beat."

Luke nodded. "Ok, sure."

"Goodnight." Noah said and watched Taylor's ass walk away. He tsked and looked at Luke. "Looks like tomorrow is another day."

"Yes it is." Luke said, staring at Noah's hairless, broad chest and his brown nipples. He wanted to take one perfect nub between his teeth and bite it. He sighed and looked toward his loft. "Well, goodnight Noah. Sweet release... I m-mean sweet dreams, um." he closed his eyes and silently mouthed the word 'shit'.

Noah stared at Luke with a smile on his face. _'Sweet release? What the hell is he thinking about?'_** Noah thought back and remembered feeling the blond's semi hard cock on his hip as he pressed his body against him when they were dancing. He grinned with that image and said, "Goodnight Luke. Go bust a nut and splash your joy juice." he laughed ****before heading to his bedroom.**

Luke watched Noah walk away with a smile forming on his lips, then headed upstairs to his room. 


	3. Chapter 3

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 3

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER

SUMMARY: LUKE AND NOAH CONTINUE TO TRY TO GET TAYLOR'S ATTENTION

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25) No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.****

* * *

****

Luke stretched and opened his eyes. Something had pulled him from his restful sleep. Hearing heard pans banging and laughter caused him to sit up immediately. _'Noah is already working on Taylor? What a jackass. Time for me to play without kid gloves._****

Luke dug in his drawer and took out the clothing he was going to wear today. He went into the bathroom and wet his hair, washed his face and gargled. He put on his chosen outfit and hopped down the stairs by two's to the kitchen, arriving to see his roommates making breakfast together.

Noah and Taylor stopped laughing for the moment when Luke entered the room. Noah stared at Luke intensely with Luke staring back just as hard, if not harder. Noah was wearing shorts and a red muscle shirt. His hair was neatly combed and he looked bright eyed and happy.

**Luke shifted his gaze and looked at Taylor. He had on a tee shirt and shorts, and looked really sexy with his dark hair unkempt.**

Noah reluctantly turned away from Luke's body. His light blue wife beater and short, ripped, jean shorts were too much for his brain to comprehend this early in the morning. Noah's body was tingling and his heart was racing and he couldn't control it.

"You look good Luke. Have a date?" Taylor asked, staring at the light-blond hair on Luke's thighs.

Luke blushed. He didn't usually wear these cut offs around others- just upstairs when he was typing. They were worn out, comfortable and fit perfectly. He replied while smiling, "No, I haven't had a date in quite a while."

Noah quickly turned his head. _'I knew he was going to break the rules by mentioning a date!'_****

Taylor replied, "It's not a wonder. You stay in that loft all day and you never get out. Hey," he looked at Noah and tapped his arm. "you and Luke should go out sometime."

Noah shook his head and said vehemently. "No way! He's not my type."

"You never know." Taylor said in a sing song voice and smiled at Noah.

"I know he's not my type either." Luke chimed in. "I go for the bookworm type. I like to write, so I like someone who likes to read." _'That described Taylor perfectly. Maybe he'll take the hint.'_**  
******

"And I'm attracted to someone who doesn't have two left feet." Noah stared at Luke and smirked. _'Nice chest hair. Looks soft.'_****

"Which is why I like to stay home and have a quiet night in." Luke countered. "I don't get my kicks grinding on someone's leg."

Noah laughed, "Really? You get 'em in your loft typing god knows what I suppose."

Taylor laughed hard. Noah didn't know what type of books Luke wrote, but he was dead on when he said Luke probably got off on writing.

They both looked at Taylor questioningly because he was still laughing.

"Sorry, it's nothing. Let's eat." Taylor chuckled and carried some of the food to the dining room table.

Once everyone was seated, Taylor took a drink of juice and asked what Luke and Noah were planning on doing for the day.

Noah looked at Taylor and asked, "What are you doing?"

Taylor shrugged and said, "I might hang around here for a while, then call my friends and see what they're up for."

Noah nodded. He really wanted to do something with Taylor, but the rule was neither he or Luke could ask Taylor out.  
****

"I think I'm going to stay here." Noah replied, looking at Luke.

Luke said, "Me too. I have to write. I have a chapter deadline and I'd like to finish early."

Noah stared at Luke and asked, "Just what do you write again?"

"Books." Luke said dismissively and picked up his glass to take a drink-hopefully distracting Noah.

Noah dropped the subject and looked at Taylor. "What about tonight?"

Taylor answered, "I may stay out tonight too. I haven't seen my friends since I moved and they've been bugging me to do something with them."

Luke smiled, knowing that Noah wanted to do something with Taylor and he couldn't. "I guess it's just you and I, Noah."

Noah was discouraged. He stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth to hide his disappointment. Luke licked his lips, watching the maple syrup run down Noah's chin.

Noah stuck his tongue out as far down as he could to lick it off, but used his napkin to finish the job when he saw Luke watching him intently. He smiled to himself because of the way Luke was staring at him. He wouldn't have been surprised if Luke had jumped onto his lap and licked the syrup off his chin.

**Luke's eyes left Noah's blue ones to concentrate on eating and to sneak peeks at Taylor. He tried his hardest to make eye contact with the older brunette. Luke was unsuccessful though because Taylor was focused on eating his breakfast.**

Taylor finished before Luke and Noah and announced he was going to take a shower. He asked Noah if he needed to use the bathroom first.

Luke spoke up, "He can use the one in the loft." He didn't want Taylor to bump into Noah coming out of the bathroom. Luke had an amusing thought, _'Noah's really playing this game hard. Knowing him, he might come out of the bathroom naked and not just shirtless this time!'_****

Noah smiled at Taylor and said, "Yea, let me go use it quick, then it's all yours buddy." He stood up and glanced at Luke to smile smugly just before he walked away.

Taylor watched him go, then faced Luke when Noah disappeared. He leaned toward him and said excitedly, "You should ask him out!"

"No way!" Luke said. "I told you he's not my type."

"Luke! You should. I can tell you like him. The way you look at him shows how enamored you are with him. I think he likes you too." Taylor exclaimed.

Luke shook his head. He'd never get a date if Taylor thought he was 'enamored' with Noah. He stared into Taylor's blue eyes and lied unconvincingly, "I really can't stand him Taylor. He's an arrogant ass and he thinks he's better than me. I look at him like that because I can't believe the things he says and does. He really irks me. He rubs me the wrong way." _'I sounded like I was trying to convince myself that I don't like him. I rambled. Taylor is going to see through that! Shit!'_**  
******

Taylor chuckled as he teased Luke, "It seemed like he was rubbing you the right way on the dance floor last night."

"That was... hmph." Luke was at a loss for words. He became flustered and reached for his glass, accidentally spilling his orange juice all over the table.

"Oh shit." Taylor exclaimed, grabbing a bunch of napkins to soak up the spill.

Noah saw the mess as he came back from the bathroom and asked, "What happened?"

Luke looked up and saw that Noah had shed his shirt. He stared longingly at Noah's body while answering absentmindedly, "I, uhhh... spilled jizz. Juice, I mean juice!" Luke shook his head at his mindless idiocy while Taylor and Noah laughed their asses off.

Luke rolled his eyes at them, cleared his place setting, and walked into the kitchen thinking, _'I KNEW it. Noah did shed his shirt. Taylor expressed his interest in his body last night and he's using it to his advantage now. Sneaky... That bod is hot though. I wouldn't be surprised if he wins this bet. Huh. I wonder what we're playing for. I don't recall talking about that. I'll have to remember to ask him when we're alone.'_****

Taylor and Noah cleared the table while Luke loaded the dishwasher. Taylor excused himself to take his shower when everything was done, leaving his two roommates alone.

Luke started the dishwasher, then he washed and dried his hands while he purposely avoided looking at Noah.  
****

Noah, however, was staring at Luke's ass. _'That is one tight little butt he has. Especially in those cut off jeans. I'd love to give those sweet cheeks a squeeze.'_****

"So Noah," Luke began, still facing the sink. "when I win this bet, what exactly do I win?"

"Ha! What do you mean when YOU win? I am so ahead of you Luke. In fact, I am certain I'm going to win. It's almost cruel letting you play along because...." Noah walked up behind Luke and whispered in his ear. "you have no chance."

Luke bit his lip to keep the groan inside. The one that was forcing it's way up to his throat due to the tickling in his ear from Noah's breath. "mmm.." he whimpered anyway, then silently cursed himself for letting Noah get to him.

"What's the matter.... Luuuuke." Noah whispered again. _If I can get Luke more interested in me, that will distract him. He'll lose interest in Taylor, then he will quit trying to get Taylor to notice him. I'll win when Taylor asks me out._****

Luke turned around and said, "Nothing, Noooaaa-uhhh..." and smirked. _'If I can get him to like me more than Taylor, I can win this. I'll have it made!'_****

Noah jerked his head back, clearing his throat and blushing. No one had ever said his name like that before. It caused a tremor to course through his body. He looked at Luke as if he didn't know what to do; he was surprised and shocked at the same time.

**Luke saw that he had an effect on Noah. This was too easy. He'd known him less than 24 hours and he had him in the palm of his hand, or so he thought. He smiled slyly and turned to head into the living room.**

Noah grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him back, saying, "Wait up there slick."

Luke turned and fell into Noah's arms, his hands coming in contact with the bare, hot skin on Noah's hairless chest.

"Whoa, you ok?" Noah asked.

Luke's hands burned where he was touching Noah. He quickly righted his body and dropped his arms and his gaze. "Yes, I'm fine. Great. What did you want?" he asked, staring at the intriguing treasure trail disappearing into Noah's shorts.

Noah looked down to where Luke's eyes were affixed before looking up and grinning. He casually rubbed his abdomen and scratched it slowly as if he had an itch, then said, "Ahem."

Luke looked up into Noah's spellbinding eyes. "Hm? Did you say something?"

"No, but I was wondering--"

"Hey you two." Taylor walked into the kitchen shaking his wet hair, causing drops of water hit Luke and Noah.

"Hi." they both smiled at the brunette, trying to capture his interest.  
****

"I'm heading out now." Taylor said.

"No, really?" Noah asked, almost whining with disappointment.

Taylor nodded and said, "Yes, I decided that I want to stop at the bookstore and chill for a while, then I'm meeting my friends in San Marino. Don't wait up for me and have fun together." he smiled and winked.

Luke and Noah peeked around the kitchen wall and watched him go.

"I guess I'm going to go to the loft and write." Luke muttered as he walked away, Noah's body forgotten for the moment.

"I'm going to the living room to strategize." Noah teased.

* * *

****

Luke began typing, but he couldn't focus. He closed his document and joined a game of online poker. He could hear Noah in the living room looking through his collection of cd's.

"Hey Luke! Can I listen to this while you write?" Noah called up to the loft.

Luke stood up and looked over the wall. "What?"

**  
Noah held up the cd and said, "Can I play this?"**

"Yes, I don't care. I can't write anyway." he called down. Soon he heard the bluesy sound of Billy Holiday's voice fill the townhouse. He smiled and looked at his computer screen, played his hand, and lost.

"This is nice and spacious."

Luke jumped about a mile in the air. "Jesus!" he yelled at Noah. "What are you doing up here?"

Noah looked at the unmade bed and shook his head. "You're a little messy aren't you?" Noah commented before looking at Luke's desk which was plastered with sticky notes and scattered with a half dozen pens.

"What do you want?" Luke swiveled in his chair and watched Noah walk to his bookshelf. He panicked and stuttered, "Oh, d-don't. Noah."

Noah ignored Luke's plea and pulled a book off the shelf. "'Sinful Awakening'?" Noah asked with a confused look on his face. "You read romance books?"

Luke quickly got out of his chair and took the book out of Noah's hand. He promptly put it back in its place on the shelf and tried to pull the brunette away, but Noah laughed and reached out to take another book off the shelf. "You read this wussy stuff? What is this one? 'In Too Deep'."

"No, Noah don't." Luke tried to grab the book but Noah turned away **and opened the book to a random page and read aloud.**

=-----------------------------=

"Do it!" Joel ordered. Mike hesitantly placed his index finger on the slit of his dick and gathered a dollop of prefuck.

"Lick it!" Dan said, nudging Joel with a smirk as they watched their so called 'straight' roommate perform for them.

Mike tentatively raised his finger to his lips and tasted his jizz for the first time. He couldn't believe he was doing this in front of his roommates. He could see that Joel and Dan were incredibly turned on judging by the huge bulges encased in their boxer briefs.

Joel saw Mike staring at his manhood. He grinned and squeezed his muscles to make his dick jump for Mike. "Looks like you're leaking there Mike." he pointed. "Better get that before it drips on the rug."

Mike gathered another pearly drop and sucked that one off his finger too. It was sort of slimy, but he didn't mind.

"Tell me how it tastes." Dan said in a sex-crazed voice.

"It's fucking great guys." Mike's head was reeling with sex, hunger, want, and lust. He was so horny, the horniest he'd ever been. "Shit, my prefuck is awesome!"

Joel replied, "That's it Mike, lick some more." He looked at Dan and grinned devilishly. "Our roommate likes to eat cum."

"I wonder if he eats anyone's cum." Dan stated with a naughty look at Joel, then he looked at Mike and licked his lips.

**  
"Listen 'STRAIGHT' boy," Joel said to Mike, who was breathing hard and excitedly. "you're gonna suck me off and eat my tasty cum. After that, I'm gonna fuck you while you suck Dan's cock. You're gonna eat his hot cum too." he took his briefs off, causing Mike's eyes to widen at the sight of the very first cock he had ever seen. The shaft was long, thick and hard. He gasped in a shaky breath at the sight of Joel's cockhead. It was so red and shiny with prefuck. Dan slipped his hand into his own briefs and stroked his hard cock, watching Mike's expression.**

Mike's voice trembled, "Both of you?" He couldn't believe it. He told himself he was straight while he was growing up. Hell he'd even had sex with girls and liked it, but his two best friends had him cornered and were suggesting, no insisting, on having a 3-way with him. He couldn't deny the feelings of wanting to feel what it was like getting fucked up the ass while sucking a dick- both their dicks. His emotions were bursting with excitement.

Joel laughed, "This is what you've been waiting for Mike. Me and Dan. We've seen you looking at us dude. You want this. You want us to use you like the slut bitch you are."

Mike eyed Joel's cock. He wanted to be fucked as he sucked. He wanted two dicks in his body thrusting, fucking and cumming.

Dan raised his voice, yelling, making Mike jump. "Tell us you want it NOW!"

"YES!" Mike pleaded, "Fuck me! Fuck my mouth and my ass!"

Then Joel insisted, "How bad do you want our dicks? Tell us how bad you want it!"

****

Noah's face had reddened. He scoffed, "What is this?"

Luke mumbled, "Soft core porn."

Noah smirked and flipped to another page. Again, he read aloud;

All Mike thought about was the slippery, throbbing cock in his fuck chute and how good it felt sliding in and out as Joel fucked him mercilessly. It was by no means gentle, but Mike didn't care. He wanted it rough.

Joel enjoyed the tightness of Mike's virgin asshole. He shoved his cockhead and shaft in his ass with huge, forceful pushes- stretching Mike completely.

Mike was moaning non-stop, wanting and waiting to feel Joel's cum spurting in his ass. Suddenly, he felt Dan's groin hit his face repeatedly, reminding him to suck his cock. He slackened his jaw and opened his mouth wider, feeling the engorged head of Dan's cock hit the back of his throat. He gagged. It was in too deep, but Dan was relentless and held his head still as he forced his thick shaft in deeply without a care for Mike's comfort.

**  
Mike moaned, his throat sore from the assault it was taking. He jumped and grunted when he felt Joel slap his ass hard.**

"You like this slut bitch?" Joel looked at Dan and grinned, then slapped Mike's other ass cheek. "Gotta make each cheek an even red color Mike."

"Muhh,mmm" Mike moaned and-

Noah looked up with shock and said, "The author must be some sex crazed, sadomasochist loving, nymphomaniac. You don't read this shit do you? This is so.... graphic. It's smut, not soft porn."

Luke blushed and looked down. He mumbled, "I don't read it per se." as he thought, _'I just write it.'_****

"Yea right." Noah laughed and put the book back on the shelf. He tilted his head and to read other titles. "'Wreaking Havoc', 'Seduced', 'His First Time'." Noah shook his head. "Written by Kyle Evans. You got a thing for him?"

Noah glanced at Luke and back at the shelf. "Jesus Luke! You don't have any other authors here. Have you read all of these?" he pointed to the 12 or so books and turned back to Luke thinking, _'What a little perv!'_****

"Yes I've read all of them because I wrote them." Luke said with a **touch of shame. "I'm Kyle Evans."**

Luke and Noah made eye contact. Their gazes were long and deep.

Noah shook his head and laughed. "You almost had me there! You couldn't have written that shit!"

"You don't know me. Why is it so hard to believe I wrote those books? Wait, what are you saying? It's good shit or bad shit?" Luke questioned.

"It is what it is. Dirty and maybe a tad obscene." Noah said and started to walk down the stairs.

"You didn't answer." Luke stated with his arms crossed.

Noah looked over his shoulder and said, "It's too pornographic for me." He continued to walk down the stairs and sat on the couch listening to the music.

Luke sat in his chair and sighed. He didn't like his books being called shit, but some people would think that's what it was. _'Figures Noah would pull out the most graphic book and read those particular pages. It could have been worse. There are other parts that are even more graphic- like the rimming chapter. He probably would have really had a fit then!'_****

Noah laid on the couch and closed his eyes. _'Luke wrote that? He's... wow... that book is so nasty! Damn this hard-on!'_** Noah lifted his head and looked up at Luke's loft. He couldn't see Luke so he knew Luke couldn't see him. He slipped his fingers into his shorts and played with the head of his hard cock until it was too sensitive to touch anymore. He looked at the loft again and the stairs. It was clear, so he quickly ****went to his bedroom to take care of his erection.**


	4. Chapter 4

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 4

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER

SUMMARY: LUKE MAKES A BIG MISTAKE, THEN TRIES TO MAKE AMMENDS

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25) No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special Shout Out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.****

* * *

****

Saturday night.....

Luke glanced at the time on the lower right hand of the screen on his computer and realized it was after 10pm. His stomach growled so he decided to head to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. His roommates were gone- Noah went on a photo shoot and Taylor had called and told him he was staying with his friends in San Marino for the rest of the weekend.

Little did Luke know that Taylor stayed with his friends because he had ulterior motives. He wanted Luke and Noah to have some time alone to get to know each other. He could see the magnetism they had towards each other and thought if he was out of the picture for a while, they might hook up. Lord knew Luke needed to.

Luke grabbed a bagel and ate it dry. He walked around the quiet townhouse before walking to the sliding glass doors and looking out. He saw that the pool was empty, so he decided **to go for a night swim. He changed into his trunks and went down to the pool, then dove in and resurfaced. He looked around and floated on his back for a while, looking at the moon and the sky.**

* * *

****

Noah came back home carrying his camera and tripod. He set them in the living room, then went back to his truck for his bag of film and his lighting equipment.

He entered the house again and noted that it was quiet. He began to carry his things to his bedroom, when he was drawn to the sliding glass doors. He looked outside and saw just one person in the pool. He turned away and grabbed his film with the intention of developing it for his meeting tomorrow. The woman that hired him would choose from the hundred or so photographs he had taken for the advertisement in GQ magazine. GQ wasn't a magazine he worked for regularly; his photo shoot been an extra job he picked up. He had been allowed full creative direction and had chosen the model, the poses and the set.

Noah frowned, feeling the pull to go outside to the balcony and to see the person in the pool again. He decided to grab his camera and telescopic lens. He silently crept out onto the balcony and looked through the viewfinder until it focused on the figure in the water. The man went under the water before Noah could catch of a glimpse of his face.

"Damn." Noah muttered and waited, seeing the guy's blue swim trunks under the water. Finally the guy began to rise. "That's it baby... come to daddy." Noah spoke softly as his trained eye focused on the man's face. Noah gasped and looked over his camera at the pool, then back through the viewfinder. _'Wow. Luke you have some hot, wet bod.'_** Noah snapped a few dozen pictures of Luke in the water, getting out of the pool and diving back in. He took dozens more of Luke's face. His face was very photogenic and gorgeous. Noah stared, watching the as water rolled off Luke's body. He kept snapping until he was out of film. He took one last look at Luke, then went to his bedroom. He took his camera and the film he shot earlier into the bathroom along with his portable dark room, light, timer and developing solutions. He shut the door and set up the equipment to develop his film.  
******

* * *

****

Luke yawned and climbed the ladder to get out of the pool. He grabbed the beach towel he'd brought with him and wrapped it around his waist. When he walked into the house, he happened to notice Noah's tripod was in the living room.

"Noah?" Luke called out and walked down the hall towards Noah's bedroom. He called out again just as he walked past the bathroom.

"In here!" Noah called out.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were using the bathroom." Luke said from the hallway.

"I'm not using the bathroom. I'm- SHIT what are you doing?!" he yelled at Luke when the blond opened the door.

Luke saw the trays of liquid, film, paper and the black box. "What is this stuff?"

Noah pushed Luke out and said, "You moron! I was developing my pictures! They're ruined!" Noah hung his head and put his hand over his eyes.

"Sorry. I didn't know." Luke apologized.

Noah lifted his head and glared at Luke. "Of course you didn't know! Don't you knock! Who the hell goes into the bathroom when someone is in it!!"

**  
"You said you weren't 'using' it!"**

"I WAS using it! I didn't think you'd come in! UHHHHGGG!!!" Noah yelled loudly.

Luke bit his lip. "Can't you just take some more pictures? Tonight or tomorrow?"

"NO! The model is gone, the Armani suits went back to the store, and the lighting guys went home! Even the set is gone! It was taken down and put back into storage!"

Luke mumbled, "Just trying to give you a suggestion. I'm trying to help you."

"Trying to help? Bullshit! You ruined all of my pictures. GQ will never hire me for another shoot. You ruined my chance at a real job with them!" Noah yelled and went into the bathroom, then slammed the door.

Luke could hear Noah swearing and slamming his equipment or whatever he had in there, as he cleaned up. He thought he heard a few sobs, but he wasn't sure. Then he got an idea; after he made a few phone calls, he got dressed and waited.

In an hour, almost everything was set up. Luke went to the bathroom where Noah was still sulking. He knocked repeatedly and said, "Noah, come out. I have something for you. Please?"

"No!" Noah snapped back, "I don't want to look at you or talk to you right now. I'm so furious that I might say or do something awful. Just leave me alone."

"Please?" Luke begged and tapped on the door with his index finger.

**Noah rose off the side of the tub and looked at the pictures he'd taken and wanted to cry. All of them, every single one of them was ruined. Exposed to the light the moment Luke opened the bathroom door. **_Why didn't I lock the door? This is so bad! What am I going to do?'_****

"Noah! Open the damn door. I have this figured out." Luke rapped on the wooden door.

Noah forcefully opened the door and looked at Luke. "What?!"

Luke smiled and said, "Come with me." Taking Noah's hand, he led him to the balcony. "Look." he said pointing down.

Noah looked down at the pool area and shrugged. "So what." he muttered and turned to go back inside.

"Hit it!" Luke yelled down. Suddenly the area was lit with twinkling little lights in the palm trees surrounding the pool. "Look Noah."

Noah sighed, getting angrier by the minute. He looked and said sarcastically, "Yea nice, but it's not Christmas."

Luke leaned over the railing and yelled, "Ok guys!"

Noah saw a camera lighting light up the area. He asked Luke, "What did you do?"

"Saving your ass. Call the model and tell him to come back." Luke said, handing over his cell phone.

Noah shook his head. "I told you he left! He flew back to France!" He yelled as he walked **into the living room and tugged at his hair. "Tell those lighting guys to go home. We don't even have suits, Luke."**

"Yes we do. In the pool house. I called someone I know who has a lot of connections. She had the Armani suits, woven Italian silk ties and Dolce & Gabbana's calfskin, leather loafers delivered here. I hope that's ok. I wasn't sure what color the suit was supposed to be for the ad, so there's one in every color in different sizes- the shoes too."

"Luke," Noah shook his head. "I know you tried to help, but I need a model!"

"Call one!" Luke said with one hand on his hip.

Noah stared at him an idea slowly forming in his mind. He nodded and stated, "You. Let's go." He pulled on Luke's arm, dragging him outside and forcing him into the pool house. "Put on a charcoal grey suit and pick out a matching tie and shoes."

"I can't!" Luke said, obviously frightened, "I've never modeled."

"Then you're going to learn aren't you?!" Noah replied impatiently. He ran back upstairs and grabbed his camera and another roll of film. He hoped Luke would pass as a model.

When Noah got back down to the pool, he directed Luke to stand near the trees. He waved him right, then left and right again to get the perfect shot. He looked at Luke through the view finder and frowned just before handing his camera to one of the lighting guys and approached Luke.

"I have to fix your hair." he raised his hands and ran his fingers through it.

"What's wrong with it?" Luke asked as he looked up at Noah's hands.

**  
"Hold still. It's too.... I don't know. It doesn't look right." Noah replied, combing Luke's hair with his fingers. "There." he said, then frowned and fixed it again while thinking, **_'It's so silky and thick.'_****

"Noah, I'm not a model. My hair isn't perfect. Neither is my body or my face."

"You're close enough to perfect." Noah studied Luke's hair and nodded. "Great!"

Noah took his camera back from the lighting man and aimed it at Luke. He focused, then shook his head. He lowered the camera and bit his lip. "Loosen up! You look so stiff!"

"I'm nervous!" Luke said anxiously.

Noah sighed and stared at Luke. He snipped, "Well don't be! I'm the one whose job is in jeopardy."

Luke lowered his eyes and muttered humbly, "Alright, I'll try."

Noah ordered, "Don't _try_**, just do it. Put your hand in your pants pocket and look at me."**

Luke did as he was told and waited for Noah to start taking pictures.

"Turn a little. No! I said, just a little!" Noah said with frustration. "There! That's good- stay like that." He raised the camera and sighed. Jesus!

"What now?" Luke asked, "Did I move? Is it my hair?"

**Noah scratched his head. His anger was boiling and he felt like he was going to erupt. Instead, he said through clenched teeth, "Stop smiling! Real models look confident and pissy!"**

Luke had enough of Noah's mood and shot Noah a patronizing look.

Noah grinned, saying, "PERFECT!" and started snapping pictures. Later, he had Luke change into a different suit. He continued shooting Luke in different poses and clothing. Almost 3 hours later, he was sure he had some good shots. The lighting wasn't the best, but it would have to do.

Noah dashed into the townhouse and developed his film in the bathroom while Luke helped everyone pack up their equipment and the clothing. When Luke entered the house, he went straight to the loft, undressed, and climbed into bed.

* * *

****

Luke was waking up against his will. "Leavvvvve me alone." he mumbled, pushing away the hand that was shaking his shoulder.

"I want you to see this." Noah whispered. He felt for the lamp on the bedside table and turned it on. "Wake up."

Luke sighed sleepily. He opened one eye and saw Noah sitting on his bed. He sat up quickly and pulled the sheet up to his chest.

Noah laughed, "What are you doing?"

"You'll see me naked!"  
****

"So. I've seen at least a hundred guys naked." Noah said casually.

"What? You called ME a nymphomaniac and obscene for writing porn, but you seeing 'a hundred' naked guys is alright?"

"Yes, it is." Noah stated it as a fact.

"Slutty if you ask me." Luke said and clutched his sheet tight.

"I am not slutty." Noah said calmly as he explained, "I photograph naked men for a popular nude magazine called 'Hot Men'. That's what I do, that and take odd jobs like for GQ on the side."

Luke laughed. "Talk about calling the kettle black! You see naked guys all the time! I only write about them."

"So what. It's not like I get turned on. You know the saying- once you've seen one..."

"Eh, I don't think so. I think each cock is unique in itself." Luke giggled.

"Well, that may be, but once you've taken hundreds of pictures of hard ons asses, cum shots, and blowjobs, you kinda become desensitized."

"You're just as perverted as me!" Luke laughed. "Noah is a smut whore!"

Noah said in a firm tone, "Am not, now shhh. I came here to show you something."

**  
"I don't want to see your dick Noah." Luke said, looking serious.**

"I don't want to show you my dick Luke." Noah replied, looking just as serious.

Luke smiled crookedly, showing a dimple and asked, "Then what are you doing up here?"

Noah reached behind himself and picked up the photo he had placed on the bed. He handed it to Luke and sat tall and proud. "Check that shit out!"

Luke looked at Noah's face, then down at the picture. He took it and looked at it and smiled. "Wow!"

"What do you think?" Noah asked. "I take a great picture don't I?"

"No, I was 'wowing' me! I look damn sexy!" he said and grinned at Noah.

"You do, but look at the angle and the lighting." Noah pointed at the picture. "It's perfect."

Luke didn't know what he was going on about. He just knew he looked pretty good.

"Anyway, keep this one. I have others. I think we may have pulled this off Luke. Thanks for your help." Noah said gratefully.

Luke looked at Noah with a small smile. "It was my fault Noah. I'm just glad I could fix it and make it right."

Noah shook his head and said, "I should have locked the bathroom door. It was my mistake **and I took it out on you. Sorry."**

Luke nodded and said, "Apology accepted."

Noah stared at Luke, then the photograph. "You could be a model you know. The makeup stylist would have made you look even better."

"Better? What's wrong with how I look?" Luke frowned at Noah.

"Nothing at all!" Noah explained, "I meant she would have smoothed out your skin tone and maybe applied some liner and a touch of mascara. Just model stuff. You don't need it otherwise."

""Good, cause I wouldn't have done makeup." Luke told Noah.

Noah looked Luke in the eye and asserted, "You would've done it if we had it tonight. I would have made you."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? How would you do that?"

"Well," Noah looked at Luke's bookshelf and pointed. "like your book, I would've persuaded you and if that didn't work, I would've wrestled you and held you down until you gave in."

"Is that right?" Luke chuckled.

"Yup." Noah smiled and stared at Luke's sheet, then raised his gaze and got lost in Luke's hazel eyes. JUST a sheet was separating him and Luke's naked body. He'd lied before. Not all men are created equal below the belt and sometimes he did get turned on by a certain scene or shot; that was what he called a hazard that came with his job.  
****

Luke noticed that Noah's mind had drifted. _'Perfect timing! I can distract him now... he won't win this bet. I'll make him forget all about Taylor.'_****

Luke let go of the sheet. It fell to his hips, exposing part of his pubic area; just the light colored, curly hair showed.

Noah let out a partial sigh as his eyes traveled down Luke's chest, to his abdomen. He followed the trail of hair below his navel to the thick patch that surrounded his cock. Noah wished he could move the sheet to see more, but he didn't need to get involved with Luke that way. _'Then again, if I am involved with him, he'll stop this silly game with Taylor and I'll win. That will definitely work.'_****

"Luke," Noah's eyes met Luke's again. "Are we still on for getting Taylor to go on a date with one of us?"

"I am. You wanna quit and admit defeat, go ahead. I'm going to win anyway." Luke grinned.

"Nope. I'm playing to the end and you will be eating those words. I'm going to win." Noah said and reached forward. He pulled the sheet away from Luke's body; his mouth gaped at what he saw.

"Hey!" Luke yelled and covered back up, before realizing that if Noah wanted to fool around, he didn't care. Noah might even follow him around instead of Taylor.

"I just wanted a look." Noah arched an eyebrow at him.

"Next time ask." Luke stared at Noah's bright blue eyes. "Still want a look?" Luke questioned him, but didn't wait for an answer. In an instant, he threw the sheet off and smiled.  
****

Noah rubbed his lips and jaw as he stared, hypnotized by Luke's cock.

"It's so-" Noah couldn't think.

Luke looked down at it and grasped it. "It's so... 'what' Noah?"

"Uhhhmm..." Noah licked his lips and drew in an excited breath.

Luke smirked and tugged on his cock, getting it semi hard. "Is it so good? Or so bad?"

Noah opened his mouth, but all that came out was, "Ah-"

Luke continued to stroke himself, watching Noah's face the whole time. Watching him suck on his lower lip, watching his eyes widen, then squint. Watching his nose flare as his breathing sped up.

Noah's gaze was fixed on Luke's hand and his fully hard cock. He couldn't believe that Luke would do this. Luke, who was embarrassed when he accidentally said the wrong word or was caught staring at Taylor or himself.

Luke said seductively, "Do you just like to watch Noah- or do you want to join in?"

Finally Noah looked up to Luke's face to see if he was serious. When it appeared that he was, Noah stood up and lifted his shirt over his head before pushing his pants and boxers to the floor. He grasped his erection and began to stroke it and moan.

Luke looked at Noah's fist, then at his face. This felt surreal to him. He couldn't remember **the last time he'd seen a cock in person before. Actually he could. 5 months ago- he'd had a one night stand with a blind date. **_'No more one night stands OR blind dates... never again.'_****

Luke gazed back down and watched precum drizzle out of Noah's cock. He asked out of curiosity, "When was the last time you had sex Noah?"

Noah was caught off guard. "What? Are you offering or...."

"I'm curious." Luke chuckled. _'Am I offering! Ha Ha!'_****

Noah looked up and thought. "You know, I'm really busy with work so it's been a while. Um, about 3 months or so. Why?"

Luke continued to pry, "You've been tested?"

Noah's heart raced as his fist jacked faster. "Yes." he smiled. "Am I going to get lucky?"

Luke laughed. "Are you a top... or a bottom... or doesn't it matter?"

"What are you?" Noah countered.

"Answer the damn question before I cum." Luke said and laid backwards on the bed. He continued pumping as he stared at Noah. "Well?"

"Bottom." Noah answered. "You?"

"I prefer bottom too." Luke said shakily. He was so close.  
****

Noah pursed his lips in thought as he neared his orgasm. He tilted his head and said in one, fast, ragged breath, "We have a bottom problem then."

"Nah, we'll just have to take turns. That is if we ever have sex." Luke raised his hips, pitching them upward. His hand rapidly pumped up and down. He opened his mouth and moaned as he came on his stomach.

That moan caused Noah to erupt. He thrust his hips into his fist hard and fast. "Uhhmm... Uhh, AhhhGod"

Luke rolled over and grabbed a kleenex. He spit into it and looked at his roommate. "Noah!"

"Mmmm..." Noah finished cumming, hitting Luke with one more creamy, white shot of cum on his thigh. He asked with a soft, content sigh. "Whaaat?"

"You shot in my mouth on purpose, didn't you?!" Luke said holding back a smile.

"I had no idea I'd shoot so far. It went where it wanted to go. Sorry." Noah stared at Luke. He pointed and said with a chuckle, "You have some in your hair." He got dressed and tucked his softening dick back into his underwear while Luke covered up with his sheet.

"I'm going to take a shower, so if you'll excuse me?" Luke started to rise. Noah shrugged and said, "Sure. See you in the morning." as he looked at Luke's hair and let out one, short laugh, then he turned and left.

Luke raised his hand and touched his head. He felt the sticky glob and shook his head. _'I can't believe I did that with him. I hope he gives up now. Shit! What are we betting for? We didn't establish that yet. Maybe money? That would be cool. I don't need it, but I would love to take his money and see his face when I win.'_**  
******

Noah undressed in his bedroom laid on his bed to go to sleep even though it was almost morning. He was dead tired. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about Luke. _'After I win this bet, maybe I'll ask him out. I wonder what prompted him to start jacking off in front of me? Ohh...! That sneaky bastard! He's trying to get me interested in him! Well it worked, but I am not giving up on Taylor to go chasing after him. I'll wait until after I win.'_****


	5. Chapter 5

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 5

RATED: STRONG R FOR M/M SEX AND SOME LANGUAGE

WARNING: NONE, OTHER THAN OUT OF CHARACTER

SUMMARY: THE BET COMES TO A HEAD, LUKE AND NOAH GO OUT & NOAH TAKES PICS OF LUKE

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25) No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special Shout Out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.****

* * *

****

Noah went to his meeting the following day. Miss Connor, the head editor of GQ, was impressed with his photographs, but asked what happened to the dark haired, French model that Noah had chosen to work with.

"He didn't really work well with me." Noah lied, understandably. He pointed to one of Luke's photos and said with absolute certainty, "This guy was a better subject and he listened to direction. I think the photos turned out very well if I do say so myself." He gazed at the twenty or so pictures spread out over the table and eyed the one of Luke staring at the camera with a look that made it look like he was about to say, 'Leave me the fuck alone.' Noah smiled. That was the exact look the expensive, upscale Armani suits said. 'Don't mess with me. I'm someone important and you're not worth my time.'

**  
Miss Connor picked up that very picture and said, "This is my favorite. He has the look of sophistication. He's confident and aggressive. He knows what he wants, yet he has that boyish charm. He's feisty, fiery and foxy." she smiled at Noah. "Good job Mr. Mayer. This model was the perfect choice."**

Noah smiled proudly. "Thank you Miss Connor. I appreciate the chance to prove myself to your magazine. And a big thank you for giving me the opportunity to show my talent."

"Here's your check." She handed him the money for his pictures. "I hope we can keep you on a retainer? You aren't too busy at the 'other' magazine are you?"

"I work weekdays, but I'm happy to help out anytime. Just call." Noah said and stood up.

"I really love your work." Miss Conner said sincerely. "We have a part-time job opening up soon with the strong possibility of it becoming fulltime. It's yours if you'd like it." Miss Connor smiled.

"Yes, I'd love it! You don't know how happy that makes me!" Noah grinned. "It's been my dream to work at GQ for so long." He handed her a business card, just in case she misplaced his number, shook her hand and left, feeling like he was walking on air.

By the time he got back to the townhouse, Taylor had returned from his weekend away with friends. Noah saw his roommates being chummy and friendly in the kitchen and frowned. He took off his tie and watched how Luke seemed to get along with Taylor, better than he and Taylor got along. _'I have to do something! Luke is going to win and I won't let that happen.'_** Noah said a quick hello to them as he passed the kitchen to go to the bedroom.**

Noah quickly changed and walked back to the kitchen with a big smile on his face for Taylor. "Hi there T. How was San Marino?" Noah asked and rested his arm on one of Taylor's **shoulders. "Did you and your friends have fun?"**

Taylor smiled at Noah and nodded. "Yes we did! We went clubbing and hung out. My best friend is a riot. What did you two do while I was gone?" he asked, interested in what Luke and Noah would say.

Luke glared at Noah. _'I can't believe he's got his arm on Taylor!_****

Taylor saw the look on Luke's face and figured it was jealousy. He smiled, knowing Luke liked Noah. Now he just needed Noah to lose interest in himself and become interested in Luke. He moved away from Noah and acknowledged Luke. "You look good today. Doesn't he Noah?"

Noah thought, _'So he likes Luke? I AM going to lose! What am I going to do?'_** Noah replied, downplaying Luke's looks, "Eh, he's ok if you like that type."**

Taylor looked back and forth between Noah and Luke. How could Noah not see that Luke was a total babe? He must be blind. He smiled at Luke and said to Noah, "What 'type'? The type that has plump lips, gorgeous skin, expressive eyes and a nice body. What's not to like?"

Luke grinned. _'Taylor is so going to ask me out! He's attracted to me and not Noah.'_** "Thanks Taylor, your gorgeous yourself." he complimented his roommate as he winked at Noah. "Lets eat supper. Noah, why don't you bring the spaghetti? I've got the bread and salad. Taylor?" Luke flirted, "Just bring your hot self and take a seat."**

Noah groaned aloud. He looked at Luke after Taylor left the kitchen. "A little obvious aren't you? I think you're breaking a rule."

"We never established overt flirting as breaking a rule." Luke raised one corner of his mouth in a smile.  
****

"It should be." Noah grumbled.

"You're just jealous because he thinks I'm attractive." Luke whispered.

Taylor sat at the table waiting for his roommates. He couldn't hear them, but he knew they were talking about him. They were both so obviously attracted to him and flirted openly with him, but they seemed attracted to each other too. He was confused. What were Luke and Noah doing? Using him to make one another jealous? It sounded plausible to Taylor. He made up his mind to get them together, but he didn't know how. Maybe if he made one of them jealous by asking the other out? He wondered if that would work. He decided to have a chat with one of them after dinner.

* * *

****

Later....

Noah, Luke, and Taylor sat in the living room watching a movie when Taylor glanced at Luke and said, "Can I talk to you privately on the balcony?"

Noah's head turned fast. He stared at Taylor, then at Luke. _'Shit! He's going to ask him out! I can't believe it!'_****

Luke looked at Noah and gave him a smug look. He said to Taylor, "Yes, of course." as he stood up and walked to the sliding glass doors. Taylor opened them and let Luke step out first. He turned back to Noah and said, "We'll be right back in."

Noah slumped his shoulders and frowned. _Crap! I didn't try hard enough! Now Luke is going to rub it in my face. He's going to laugh at me. Ughhh!'_** Noah stood up and went to his bedroom. He closed the door and sat on his bed, then took out his photo portfolio and ****stared at the copies of the pictures he had made of Luke. **_'I can see why Taylor would choose him. He is beautiful. Those features are perfectly proportioned for the shape of his face. He does have a nice body too. I know that's a fact because of last night. I should have crawled into his bed with him. I bet he would have let me. Eh, maybe not. I'm not into one night stands with roomies. That would be too uncomfortable the day after. I wonder if Taylor is done asking him out yet.'_****

* * *

****

Taylor leaned against the wrought iron railing and faced Luke.

Luke smiled at him and asked, "So? What did you want to ask me?"

"I didn't want to 'ask' you anything." Taylor corrected him, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Luke lost his smile. _'Damn! I thought he was going to ask me out. What is the big secret? Why are we out here alone?'_****

Taylor licked his lips. _'I know he likes Noah, but he's so shy. I have to give him a push. This should do it.'_** He looked Luke in the eye and said, "You have to ask Noah out. You need to go on a date together, tonight."**

Luke frowned and shook his head. "No way. I am not asking Noah out."

Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes. _'I guess it comes down to this. I'll make him jealous.'_** He stated somewhat forcefully, "Fine Luke. If you don't ask Noah, that is, if you're not interested in him, I'm going to ask him out on a date."**

**  
"What?!" Luke exclaimed. **_'No! If he asks Noah out, then Noah will win the bet! I can't let that happen!'_** Luke bit his bottom lip and said, "Ok, I'll ask him out. I don't want to, but I will." He glanced away, then back at Taylor and said, "You so owe me for this."**

Taylor shrugged as he grinned. _'Looks like I'm a pretty good matchmaker.'_** He answered, "Alright. How about I take you out tomorrow night to 'Palmas' to eat."**

Luke's heart sped up while he thought, _'YES! This is too good to be true! I win! He asked me out. I'll go out with Taylor before I tell Noah he asked me out. Noah may think I'm lying to him if I brag about it before I actually go out.'_** Luke answered, "That sounds great."**

"Just as friends." Taylor warned with a finger.

"Yes I understand." Luke beamed.

"Ok, I'm going in. Talk to you later." Taylor said and went inside.

Luke sighed contentedly and looked down at the clear pool. _'I have to take Noah out tonight. Hm, where though? Definitely not dancing.'_****

* * *

****

Taylor walked down the hall to his bedroom. Instead, he stopped at Noah's door and knocked. _'I better ask him to come tomorrow night too or he'll feel left out.'_****

"Come in." Noah answered, straightening the pictures of Luke to put back into his portfolio. "Door's open."  
****

Taylor walked into the blue bedroom and saw the pictures of Luke and smiled. _'Ha! He does have a thing for Luke. He's just embarrassed to admit it. This date will be good for him and Luke.'_** He pointed and said, "Those are good."**

"Thanks. They got me a part-time job with GQ." Noah said smiling proudly.

"Really?" Taylor said, impressed. "That's great! Hey, why don't we go out tomorrow night to celebrate?"

Noah gasped. _'He asked me out! I win! Wait, maybe he asked Luke first. I better ask.'_** He questioned bluntly, "Say, uh, did you ask Luke out on a date?"**

Taylor smiled, "No." _'Ah ha! He's jealous.'_** "I wouldn't ask him out on a date. Why?"**

"No reason." Noah grinned. _'I win! YES!_****

Taylor and Noah turned to see Luke in the doorway of Noah's bedroom when he knocked on the open door.

"Nice talking to you Noah. See you later... maybe." Taylor gave Luke a short nod and whispered, "Good luck."

Luke turned and watched Taylor leave, wondering what he was doing in Noah's bedroom.

"Hey Luke, how are you?" Noah asked confidently.

"Great." Luke said, stepping into the bedroom. "I was wondering if you would like to go **out?"**

"Can't tomorrow because I have a-" _'I better go on my date with Taylor before I tell Luke. It may get canceled unexpectedly. Then I'd be screwed.'_****

"I meant tonight." Luke said. "Anywhere but dancing."

Noah replied, "What else is there to do? We already ate."

"I don't know." Luke thought, then suggested, "OH! How about the comedy club?"

"Alright. I like comedy. Hey, I have this straight friend that went to the doctor's office to get his annual physical."

"Uhg, I hate those." Luke said.

Noah got up and grabbed his keys off his dresser and continued speaking as they walked down the hall. "I know, me too. Anyway The doctor told him to drop his pants and put his hands on the exam table."

"Oh. That part is so embarrassing. It's like foreplay!" Luke laughed.

Noah chuckled as they walked out the door to go to his truck. "I hear ya! Ok, back to my friend. So there he was, bent over and a few seconds into the rectal exam he screams, 'OhMyGod!' So the doctor asked him what was wrong. My friend answered, 'The last doctor I went to did this with both hands on my shoulders."

Luke shook his head and said, "You liar." as he opened the truck's passenger door.

**  
"Yea, it's an old joke." he laughed, "-but I still think it's funny."**

* * *

****

A few hours later...

Noah wrapped an arm around Luke's waist and helped him up the stairs to the loft. Luke tripped forward several times, but Noah caught him and righted him.

"I didn't think you had that much to drink. Can't you hold your liquor?" Noah stared at Luke.

Luke plopped on his bed and looked up at Noah with a lopsided smile. "I don't get out much, remember?"

Noah looked at him through slitted, suspicious eyes. "Yea, but a few beers and a brandy? I don't know."

Luke shrugged and took his shirt off before laying on his bed and letting his legs dangle over the edge. With a slight slur in his speech he said, "Maybe not drunk, but I have a really good buzz going. You look damn delicious. Take your shirt off." Luke eyed Noah's body and met his piercing blue, amused eyes. "What?" Luke asked, seeing the simpering smile on Noah's lips. He slowly rubbed his hairy chest, trying to seduce the brunette. He'd already won the bet. He didn't have to concentrate on using his prowess on Taylor anymore.

"You're precious." Noah said, then decided that since he already won the bet it wouldn't hurt to do as Luke asked.

**Noah took his shirt off, revealing his taut, hard, hairless chest. He heard Luke moan at the sight of his body and that made him incredibly horny. He stated, "Before anything else happens, I want to know what is going to happen here."**

Luke muttered, "Nothing. We can just talk. Sit by me." He sat up, swayed a little and patted the bed.

Noah couldn't move. He just stared at Luke; his chest, his mussed up hair, his tight jeans, his lips...eyes....

"Let me take your picture." Noah said and turned to get his camera.

"Wait." Luke said, "Why?"

"Because, you look really good. You could do a jean ad or something. That is if you want to model. I can get your face out there."

"I don't want to model, but you can take my picture." Luke stood up, then unexpectedly plopped drunkenly back down on the bed.

Noah told Luke to stay there and ran down the stairs to his bedroom. He came back with his camera and a roll of film. "Okay, stand by your window." Noah said, turning on the dimmer switch on the wall to low to get the right atmosphere and took a few pictures.

"You're doing great. Are you ok?" Noah asked, seeing Luke sway and almost fall into the wall. "Maybe you should sit on the bed."

"Good idea." Luke said, and laid on the bed instead of sitting like Noah had asked him to do.

**  
"Smile." Noah aimed and shot a few dozen pictures of Luke's seductive smile and smoky eyes. He changed the roll of film and said, "How about you undo your pants, but keep them on?"**

Luke reached down and unbuttoned his jeans as Noah took pictures. He unzipped them while Noah encouraged him to spread his pants open. In doing so, Luke revealed his black boxer briefs.

"That's it, you're doing great Luke." Noah breathed energetically as he aimed and snapped more pictures. "Maybe lose the jeans. You could do an underwear ad."

Luke raised his eyebrows questioningly, but slipped his pants down anyway. Noah watched every inch of those jeans slip down past Luke's hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and feet through his viewfinder. He could develop the pictures he was taking later and watch Luke get undressed all over again.

"How's this?" Luke asked and rubbed his erection. "God I'm hard Noah."

Noah snapped a few consecutive pictures of Luke's hand and lowered his camera. "Well, you could take care of it.... if you wanted to."

Luke put his thumbs into his waistband and drew his underwear down, then he threw them off. His hand instinctively grasped his erection and began stroking it slowly. He raised his head and watched himself pump his cock for a while, then he let his head fall back to the bed. He gazed at the camera with a sultry, desirous look in his eyes.

"God you're so hot! So sexy!" Noah said with a husky voice as he zoomed in, put the camera in focus and snapped away at Luke's face, then his body, and lastly his hand and cock. He was so hard as well that it was hard to concentrate. He lowered the camera for a moment and said lustfully, "Drop your hand."

**  
Luke let his cock thud on his abdomen. He shifted his hips subtly for Noah's benefit and raised his arms. He laced his fingers behind his head and let Noah do his job. After a few close ups of his erection, Noah said in a breathy voice, "Turn over and stick your ass in the air."**

Luke chuckled and asked, "Really?"

"God yea. I want to see it. All of it." Noah licked his lips. "Hurry."

Luke rolled over and raised his hips high. "Is that good?"

_'Shit! He's great! I wonder... no I shouldn't... maybe... no that's wrong.'_** After a few shots of Luke's ass, Noah set the camera on the bed and licked his finger. Against his better judgment, he reached out with his wet digit and touched Luke's hole. He heard Luke suck in a breath, then push back on his finger.**

Noah's senses were ablaze. Luke wanted this! He took the obvious sign and pushed his fingertip inside.

Luke lowered his head and moaned into the blanket, "Ohhhh ffffuuuu..."

Noah bit his lip and pressed in further, but was met with resistance. He slowly removed his finger and asked, "Do you have any lube?"

"In my drawer." Luke said as his hips fell to the bed.

Noah reached into the nightstand drawer and took out the tube labeled 'moist'. "Ready?" Noah asked.

**  
Luke nodded. "Mmmhmm." He tried to get up on all fours, but he kept falling forward onto his chest. He laughed and said, "I can't"**

"Um, turn over." Noah stated. "On your back...boy."

Luke turned over and looked at Noah. "What?"

Noah smiled and said, "Spread 'em."

Luke smiled and did so, but then closed his legs again. He pointed to Noah and said, "Lose the jeans mister."

Noah was silent for a minute or two, then he asked, "What exactly are we doing Luke? What are you expecting to happen?"

Luke said with an ache in his voice, "I want you so badly. Are you clean Noah? I don't have condoms."

"Yes I am. You?"

Luke replied, "Yes."

Noah asked, staring at Luke's face, "So... let me get this straight. We are going to have sex?"

"Not unless you get a move on." Luke teased.

**Noah took his jeans and boxers off, then laid next to Luke and said, "We've never even kissed, how do you know we have that spark. What if the sex is horrible?"**

"I don't care how horrible it is as long as I cum." Luke laughed.

"Oh that's romantic. You are just vulgar!" Noah laughed with Luke.

"Noah, this isn't about romance. It's sex." Luke turned his head. "Get down there and do me."

Noah sat up. "Do you. Nice Luke." he chuckled. "Do you." he shook his head.

"DO ME!" Luke shouted and spread his legs wide apart.

Noah lubed his finger and entered it inside Luke. He held his breath as he watched his digit move in and out of the blond's hole.

"Mmm... ahhhh! That's it Noah... keep going." Luke winced and gently bit his tongue, then he closed his eyes.

Noah went slower with the second finger. It slipped in easily, but Luke was so tight. He moved his fingers across that sensitive, sensual spot inside Luke and received a gratified sounding moan.

Luke's open mouth looked too enticing. Noah leaned forward and covered his luscious mouth with his own. Luke's eyes flew open and he looked into Noah's half lidded from lust, blue ones. Luke wrapped his arms around Noah's neck and sneaked his tongue between Noah's lips and into his mouth.

**Noah pressed his lips harder against Luke's lips. His tongue played with the one in his mouth as his fingers felt Luke's inner muscles relax. He was definitely ready. He broke the electrifying kiss to ask, "Still want to?"**

Luke looked at Noah like he was crazy. "Hell yes I do. Look at the size of my cock! It's ready and so is my ass." He expressed himself with conviction and squeezed his muscles on Noah's fingers

Noah grinned, feeling Luke tighten and relax on his fingers. He pulled them out, then lubed up and raised Luke's legs. He pointed his cock at the blond's hole and walked forward on his knees. When the head of his cock was touching Luke's entrance, he asked again, "You sure?" because Luke was buzzed and not all there, but Noah was pretty sure Luke knew what was going on.

"Yes! If you ask me again, I'm gonna kick you out of my bed. Stick it to me."

Noah gently entered Luke's domain and sighed. It had been to long since he'd had sex.

Luke murmured, "God... feels good."

Noah smiled naughtily. He leaned down and whispered by Luke's ear, "Are you ready for the hard stuff?"

"Huh?" Luke looked at Noah, then chuckled.

Noah promised, "You are gonna get fucked raw!"

Luke grinned and said in a soft voice, "Go easy on me."

**"Not a chance, bottom. I'm gonna fuck your fuck chute hard and fast."**

Luke laughed and asked, "When did you read and memorize a scene from my book 'In Too Deep'?"

"Not telling, but it's actually a hot little piece of smut." Noah admitted. "I was hard the whole time I read it."

Luke snickered, "Noah likes smut. No make that obscene smut."

"Yea I do, what of it? Umm... cock whore?"

Luke laughed, "No, it's slut bitch, but don't call me that."

"Oh yea, slut bitch." Noah nodded with a grin spreading on his lips.

"Yea." Luke reached up and ran his fingers through Noah's thick hair.

Noah blinked with surprise at the tender gesture and pushed in to the hilt- feeling Luke open wide to make way for his cock.

"OHHHMMM!" Luke cried out with pleasure as Noah's cock pushed against that 'spot'. He reached forward; grabbing, then clenching Noah's ass. "Do it again! Give it to me Noah."

Noah pulled out a couple of inches and promptly drove his cock back in again.

"UH, more!!" Luke cried out and pulled hard on Noah's ass.

**  
Noah continued pulling out slowly, then rapidly slamming his cock back again. He was losing control. He had to slow down or risk cumming already. He began slowing his pace, but he soon ditched that rhythm. Neither he nor Luke liked it. It was too agonizingly slow.**

"Make me cum Noah!" Luke grabbed his cock and began stoking it.

Noah slammed and rammed, going deep and grinding against Luke's groin.

"That's it, pump my ass." Luke said, squeezing his ass muscles and moaning; jerking his cock in time to Noah's hard pounding. He made a fist with his other hand and repeatedly hit the bed with it as he came on himself. He shouted to Noah, "Cum in me! Cum in my ass!"

Noah's face was red and sweaty. He breathed hard and strong, moaned loud and grunted louder. The muscles in his biceps flexed and his stomach and abdomen muscles tightened as he came. His cock swelled, hardened and jerked as he filled Luke. He collapsed next to the blond and kissed his sweaty neck.

"Say it now Noah." Luke murmured.

Noah tried to think what he'd read in Luke's book after the boys had sex. He lifted his head and grinned as he said in a sexed out voice, "You are one HOT fuck, Luke. Or should I have said Mike?"

"No, Luke is just fine." he smiled and traced Noah's jawline with a fingertip.

Noah said in a joking tone of voice, "Maybe I should say Kyle Evans?"

"Noah there's no such per-"  
****

"I'm teasing you." Noah laughed and kissed Luke. "I like to tease you."

"Likewise." Luke said, then added with a straight face. "Well now that we're done here, I suggest you head down to your bedroom and go to sleep."

Noah moved away slightly, looked at Luke's face and frowned. He asked incredulously, "What?"

"Go to bed." Luke said again.

Noah drew his brows together and stated, "I thought we had something."

"We did. We 'had' each other." Luke raised his hand and waved it dismissively. "Go on, get."

Noah stared at Luke, thinking of what to say. _What a prick! A fucking asshole! What a-'_** Noah heard a low chuckle coming from Luke's throat. He let out a relieved breath and sighed. "You jerk! I thought you were serious."**

"Oh I am." Luke said, "I was laughing at your facial expressions. You were thinking of names to call me weren't you?"

Noah answered with a scowl, "You make it sound past tense. I'm still thinking of names to call you. Slut bitch comes to mind, so does fucking whore and-"

Luke sat up and put a hand on Noah's sweaty chest. "Noah, I AM kidding. Sorry. I guess I took it too far."

**"Grrrr!" Noah roared and tackled Luke to the bed. He rolled on top of him and nuzzled his neck. "You little..."**

Noah stopped talking because Luke pulled Noah's head away from his neck and kissed his mouth. After making out for a while, Luke said, "You know, maybe you really should go to your bed. What is Taylor going to say when he realizes we slept with each other?"

Noah rubbed Luke's chest and said, "I don't care."

"I guess I don't either, in fact, he pushed me to ask you out." Luke admitted.

Noah was shocked. "Pushed you? Did he have to push you very hard?"

"Not at all." Luke smiled. "I wasn't really pushed, maybe gently nudged." he said and kissed Noah deeply.

Noah sighed after he broke the kiss to lay his head on Luke's chest. "So, where do we go from here? Was this just a one night stand or what?" _'God I can't even look him in the eye when I talk to him. Sex with my roommate? So not gonna end well. He can kick me out if I get him the least bit angry. Hell, he can kick me out for taking nude pictures of him while he was partially drunk. He can kick me out for seducing him. What am I saying? He can make something up and kick me out!'_****

Luke looked at the top of Noah's head and played with his hair. _'I'm glad he can't see my face and the look of shock that I'm sure is on it. What DO I do? Where DO we go from here? I can't believe I had sex with a roomie that I've known for one weekend. This is nuts! I can't believe I let him take pictures of me naked either! I was buzzed and didn't care, but now I'm sobering up. I have to wonder what does HE want and expect?'_****

"To be perfectly honest Noah, I don't do one night stands anymore because they're meaningless sex. If I want that, I have my right hand and I don't have to leave home for a **good time."**

Noah giggled and circled Luke's bellybutton, then dipped a finger into it. "I never get turned down by my hand.... well once I did, maybe twice." he joked.

Luke smiled and asked, "So?"

"Yea, I don't do one night stands either. Too complicated and yet too easy." Noah raised his head. He looked Luke in the eyes and said, "Lets get to know each other better, intellectually, but not screw around on one another. How's that?"

"Great!" Luke said enthusiastically, then looked thoughtful for a moment. _'That probably means no dating either! I better cancel with Taylor so I don't hurt Noah's feelings.'_** Luke smiled and agreed, adding, "No dating others is a good idea since we're living in the same house."**

Noah thought, _'I better cancel that date with Taylor. I don't want to give Luke the wrong idea.'_****

Luke's voice interrupted Noah's thoughts, "After what we did, I don't really want to see you with some bitch slut."

"Uh, it's slut bitch Luke." Noah said in a way that provoked Luke to laugh.

Noah smiled at the giggling blond and asked, "Sheesh, don't you even remember our role play conversation or what you wrote in your own book?"

"Yes I do! Your mouth is distracting me and I can't concentrate." Luke grinned and brought Noah's face back down. He tickled Noah's lips with the tip of his tongue, then tickled the inside of his mouth with it.  
****

They were kissing deeply and madly when Noah abruptly jerked his head away and asked, "Hey!"

Luke smiled and asked, "Hey what?"

Noah came close to Luke's ear and whispered as if someone might hear. He was somewhat embarrassed to ask, but he was curious, "Was I a good top?"

The heat of Noah's breath warmed Luke's ear. He raised his eyebrows, after he heard the question and nodded. "Terrific! You haven't before? Am I your first?" he asked eagerly.

Noah shook his head, "No I've topped before, but it was over a year ago and I've never asked anyone about my performance before. You did say as long as you cum, you didn't care if the sex was horrible."

"I didn't mean with you. Need me to stroke your ego some more?" he teased. "You were awesome! The best screw I've had in 5 months!"

"Luke." Noah said with a serious face. "You said you haven't been with anyone in the past 5 months."

"I haven't! You're the best one! I'm on a roll now." he covered his mouth and laughed.

Noah gave him a sly look and met his mouth again, but Luke put his hands on Noah's chest and held him at bay.

"What do we do about this bet then?" Luke asked, gazing into Noah's eyes. _Such beautiful eyes. I could stare into them forever.'_**  
******

"Do you want to drop it?"

"If you do, you forfeit and I win." Luke teased with his eyes shining triumphantly.

"You said we can't date other guys, so technically you can't go on a date with Taylor and therefore you lose by failing to fulfill the conditions of the bet."

"You do too. If you don't go on a date with Taylor, you lose."

"There is no winner or loser if it never happens." Noah replied. "It's null and void."

"Hm, ok. What was the prize anyway?"

Noah tilted his head and questioned Luke, "The prize?"

"Yes. For winning? What was the bet for?" Luke asked and raised his body onto his elbows. He looked at Noah who seemed to be thinking. "Well? Did we ever state what the winner would get?"

"Yes." Noah nodded after an idea entered his head.

Luke asked with interest, "What was it."

"I won." Noah smiled at Luke. "I got you to ask me out."

"What?"  
****

"Yup," Noah laughed. "and you came through."

"That's not true. I mean I did ask you out, but you didn't make me." Luke countered.

"Maybe not, but I'm glad you did. Why did you ask me out tonight?" Noah looked at Luke's clock and corrected himself, "I mean Last night."

Luke couldn't tell Noah that he had to or he'd lose the bet if Taylor asked Noah out, but he wasn't a liar. He laid down and mumbled, "Like I said before, Taylor suggested it. It wasn't my idea."

"Oh." Noah frowned.

"I was going to ask you out once I got Taylor to ask me out. I didn't want to be flirting with two guys. Taylor would have known I had an interest in you and he wouldn't have asked me out."

"I wanted to ask you out afterwards too." Noah said and laid next to Luke. "I guess this was a stupid bet huh?"

"No, Seeing you flirting with Taylor and laughing with him made me envious of the attention you were giving him. You were really trying hard. Dressing like you did, or should I say the lack of clothing you had on, made me painfully aware that you would probably win. Everything you did made me jealous. It made me want you that much more."

"You have a great body Luke, and Taylor did say he was attracted to you. THAT made ME jealous. I thought for sure he was going to ask you out after listing all of your attractive features."

**  
Luke was silent for a moment before he said, "No, he didn't ask me out." **_'He only asked because I said he owed me. That wasn't really asking for a date._****

Noah looked between Luke's legs and had an urge to grab his cock.

"Did he ask youuuu oohh-" Luke stopped talking and moaned when Noah grabbed his flaccid cock. It instantly woke up and hardened in Noah's hand.

Noah spoke between dotting kisses on Luke's chest, "I love that! Feeling a cock get stiff when I hold it. I can feel it growing and getting thick and hard. It's so sexy."

"I like it too." Luke said and reached down. He touched Noah's cock, but it was already hard. "Mmmm." Luke said and raised his chin for Noah to kiss his neck and throat. He held Noah's erection loosely as he moved his hand up and down it's length.

Noah sighed loudly and happily. He felt Luke's lips on his forehead before Luke asked, "Can I make love to you?"

Noah grinned, "Yes! I love being the bottom! Have you topped before?" he asked as he laid on his back. He watched Luke reach for the lube lying at the bottom of the bed.

"Yea, once. 'Scuse me if I'm not that good." Luke said and lubed up a finger.

"You'll be fine- OW!" Noah yelped at the insertion of Luke's finger.

"You ok?"

"Yea, but I wasn't expecting the cold lube or that much finger. What did you do? Insert your **hand?" Noah wiggled, trying to get comfortable.**

"No. Want me to?" Luke laughed.

"No thanks- aaaahh" Noah sighed passionately.

Luke smiled at Noah. "Like that spot rubbed Noah?" he asked, already knowing the answer, then he did it again.

"OHHH-UUUH-GODDD!" Noah yelled and bucked his hips up and down.

"Shhhhh...!!" Luke whispered and added another finger. "I think the people in China are still asleep."

"Can't... Uhhh... help it! Jeeesus....!" Noah writhed. "Can we... can you just.... make love to me. I want it now."

"Yea." Luke said. He didn't think Noah was relaxed enough, but he readied himself anyway. "I'll go slow."

Noah nodded and raised his legs. He held them to his chest and waited for Luke's body to join with his.

* * *

****

Taylor came out of the bathroom after his shower, toweling his wet head, and heard--

"UUHHHNNMM......UUUHH WAIT!"  
****

Taylor had an idea who was in the loft with Luke, but he went down the hall to Noah's bedroom anyway and knocked softly. "Noah? Are you in there?" he asked as he opened the door and peeked in. Noah's bed was made and he was nowhere to be seen. Taylor smiled to himself, then heard--

"OHGOD... RIGHT FUCKING THERE!!!"

Then he heard--

"Shhh! Taylor is downstairs! You'll wake him!"

Taylor thought, _'That sounds like LUKE telling NOAH to be quiet. Ha! Noah's loud AND the bottom. Who knew?'_****

"Taylor can buy earmuffs."

Luke laughed loudly, "You mean earplugs."

"Who cares... faster... OHHHYEAAA!!"

Taylor shook his head and chuckled. He went back into his bedroom to read until his roommates were finished or it was time to head to work, whichever came first.


	6. Chapter 6

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 6

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25) No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special Shout Out To My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Put Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.****

* * *

****

Luke woke up with the sun shining on his face and facing his alarm clock, not that he ever used it._'9:20? That's it? God I just went to bed a short while ago... oh!'_** Luke turned over to see if Noah had left anything, but that side of the bed was empty. He sighed with a frown and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood up naked and walked to his shower feeling saddened that Noah didn't wake him when he had left for work and that he hadn't scribbled a short note saying he had a good time and couldn't wait to see him tonight.**

After his shower, Luke dressed, sat at his desk, and turned on his computer. The light from the screen brightened his face, but not his mood. He placed his fingers on the letters of the keyboard and began to type. He wrote a couple of paragraphs and decided it was awful before deleting it and rewriting the whole scene. Once again Luke typed, then read what he'd written and slammed his fist on his desk, causing his pencil holder to tip over and his computer screen to wobble.

"Damn! I can't write while I'm thinking about Noah." he muttered. "I can't believe he left without a word. What was that last night? Was I just a release for him? Did he play me?"

Luke scowled at the screen, talking to it. "I said, never again. I swore I'd never have another **one night stand and what do I do? I fall into bed with my roommate! Living together is going to be so awkward now. How am I going to talk to him or look at him without remembering last night... er... this morning? He has to move out. That's all there is to it."**

Luke rose from his chair and walked down stairs. He looked around the living room, picked up the remote and aimed it at the tv. He slouched down on the couch, watched some tv, and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

****

Luke woke up much later when the front door clicked shut and Taylor walked into the room.

Sitting up on the couch, Luke rubbed his head and asked, "What time is it?"

Taylor smiled brightly at Luke and said, "?"

Luke nodded and answered sleepily, "Yes. I don't know what time I finally went to sleep last night, but I do know the sun was just coming up."

Taylor stared with a look of satisfaction at Luke's unkempt appearance. _'He's so sexy looking when he wakes up from a night of sex. I'm glad Noah and he hit it off. I had no idea either one of them would have jumped in the sack already.'_** "So, you must have had a wild time last night." he chuckled and walked to the couch.**

"It was ok." Luke answered, yawned, and noticed that Taylor was laughing.

"Just ok? I would have sworn that you had a great time, especially at the end of the night." he grinned and gently punched Luke's bicep.

**"You thought wrong." Luke said, then turned his head to the front door. Noah walked in with a big smile and said, "Hi Taylor, hi Luke."**

"Hi Noah. Stud." Taylor whispered, then laughed out loud.

Noah gave him a slight smile, wondering what he was talking about. He saw Luke stand up and head towards the loft, then he noticed that the blond hadn't greeted him. Confused, he followed Luke to the bottom of the stairs. Before Luke could reach out and lay his hand on the railing, Noah asked, "Luke? What's up?"

Luke stopped and half turned his head, but didn't meet Noah's eyes in fear that Noah would surely see hurt there. Pain pierced his heart. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came forth. He finally croaked out an answer, "Hi Noah, not much." and started up the stairs.

Noah frowned and scratched his head. "What's the matter?"

Luke stopped on the third step, leaned heavily on the railing and turned with an ache in his heart. He said, "Nothing." then he saw the sincere look in Noah's eyes and his own eyes seemed to smile.

Noah narrowed his eyes. _'Is he regretting last night? Scratch that, this morning. I hope not.'_** Noah tried to control the panic in his voice and said in a very kind voice, "There's something wrong because I can see in your eyes that you're happy to see me, but you're slightly perturbed about something. Tell me."**

Luke's throat tightened, knowing that he had to tell the truth. "I... You... I-" he hung his head. _' I, you, I? He's right, for a writer I can't even complete a sentence or sound halfway intelligent.'_****

Noah tilted his head and stated, "I take it you didn't like the breakfast I made for you? I'm **no gourmet cook, but I thought the presentation was nice."**

"What?" Luke interrupted and walked around Noah. He stopped short in the kitchen and saw the stack of 4 pancakes topped with whole strawberries and a bottle of syrup next to the plate.

Noah walked in behind Luke. "You didn't eat." he said with a pout and took the plate to the sink.

"Wait!" Luke called out to stop him. "I'll eat them. I haven't had anything all day."

Noah smiled and took the strawberries off the top pancake and put the plate in the microwave, then he turned and smiled at Luke. "I have to talk to Taylor about something." he said and kissed Luke softly on the lips, then pressed a juicy strawberry into Luke's warm mouth.

Noah watched the piece of fruit disappear between Luke's supple lips and licked his own lips. "Mmm, you better eat." Noah said, poking Luke in the stomach. "Gotta keep your energy up for later."

"Noah, wait." he held the brunette in place. "I'm sorry I was bitchy. I really, really want something with you, but I thought maybe what we did last night, meant nothing to you."

"Why would you assume that? I had an amazing time." Noah said, touching Luke's cheek and running his finger slowly down to his jaw. He dragged his fingertip along his jawline and up to his sensuous lips.

Luke was lost in Noah's eyes- they were devouring him. He gave Noah a self conscious smile and said, "I'm sorry. I just thought-"

**Noah leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "It's ok." he said and turned to go to the living room.**

"Are you sure?"

Noah called over his shoulder, "Yep, let it go baby."

* * *

****

Taylor was stretched out on the couch. His shirt, shoes and socks had been removed and were laid on the floor. He was watching tv when Noah walked into the room.

"How's it going with Luke?" Taylor asked, sitting up so Noah could have a seat.

"Oh my god! Do you know how much of a turn on it is to know how much he wants me? It's totally hot! He's hot!" Noah grinned, then ducked his head when he realized he just blurted out what he was thinking to Taylor, someone he didn't know well. Tempering his enthusiasm, he spoke, "Um, it's fine. Why?"

Taylor smiled knowingly and shrugged. "Oh, no reason." He leaned over and tried not to laugh as he spoke. "I went to the 'Dollar Store' today."

Noah stared at the tv, the weather to be precise. "Oh?" he said disinterestedly.

Taylor chuckled and said. "Yes. I had to pick up some earmuffs... or was it earplugs? I always get the two confused."

**"That's nice- what?" Noah turned his head fast and saw Taylor's face. Seeing the shocked expression on Noah's face, Taylor belted out the loudest laugh Noah had ever heard.**

Noah started to laugh when Luke walked into the living room carrying his plate of pancakes. He asked what was so funny, then took a bite.

Noah looked up and said, "Taylor bought some earplugs today."

"Oh?" Luke stated. "I don't like water in my ears when I swim either."

Noah chuckled and shook his head.

Taylor snickered and said, "No Luke, not those kinds of earplugs. I bought the ones to block out noise."

Luke took another bite of pancakes and tilted his head. "What noise?" He asked, then his eyes got wide. "OH!" He blushed as he made an accusation, "It was Noah! He's the loud one!"

"Thanks a lot Luke!" Noah giggled. "Throw me under the bus."

"Maybe I shouldn't have bought earplugs, maybe I should have bought a gag for you." Taylor slapped Noah's knee and got up. "Luke, lets go to the kitchen. I want to talk to you."

Noah watched his roommate's leave the room and watched the rest of the weather.

* * *

****

**  
Luke put his plate in the sink and turned to Taylor. Before Taylor could say a word Luke spoke, "I can't go out tonight with you."**

"I was going to say the same thing because I really want you and Noah to get together." Taylor grinned. "I better go tell Noah."

"Tell Noah what?"

"That he and I shouldn't go out tonight." Taylor said and stepped away.

"Wait." Luke was confused. _'I had a date with Taylor tonight. Did Taylor ask Noah out too? Why didn't Noah tell me? So according to Taylor, Noah didn't cancel with him. Why? Maybe he was going to go out with him to finish this bet!'_** Luke huffed and asked, "Wait, could you wait and see if Noah breaks the date first?"**

"Why? So you can see if he's a two timer? Luke, we weren't going out like 'that'. Just friends- like you and I."

"I need to know where his head is at Taylor, please?" Luke begged with his hands on Taylor's chest.

"Hey uhhh..." Noah walked into the kitchen and stopped. He stared at his roommates, then just at Luke. "What's going on?" he asked angrily.

Luke dropped his hands and said, "We were just chatting. That's it."

"Yes Noah. Nothing weird is going on." Taylor added and went to the living room to leave Luke and Noah to talk.

**  
Luke saw the flames in Noah's eyes ignite. He wasn't sure why Noah sounded and looked mad because he and Taylor were only talking. He explained, "Really Noah, I was asking him for a favor."**

Noah muttered sarcastically, "What... a sexual favor?" He'd been burned before and couldn't stop the rampant thoughts from torturing his brain.

A loud high pitched shriek came from Luke's mouth, "NO!"

Noah came close to Luke's face. He said, jealously, "Your hands were all over him! Are you still trying to win that stupid bet by groping him?!" then he immediately regretted his brashness. He knew then that he was acting irrationally. He calmed down and decided to give Luke the benefit of the doubt.

Luke abruptly stepped back and snarled, "Hey! FIRST OF ALL, my hands were NOT all over him!"

Noah crossed his arms and stared at Luke. He nodded once, prompting Luke to continue. He was extremely relieved that it hadn't been what it looked like when he walked into the kitchen.

Luke frowned at Noah, closed his eyes and said between clenched teeth, "What?"

Noah hid his amusement. He tilted his head and said. "Go ahead. Continue."

"With what? I'm done." Luke muttered, looking at Noah, ready to defend himself.

"I beg to differ. There's always a second and sometimes a third when one brings up a 'first of all'." Noah pressed his lips together but it didn't keep the laugh bubbling up when he saw **the look of bewilderment on Luke's face.**

Luke was flustered, not sure if he should be relieved or mad. He slapped Noah on the arm and said, "Listen!" then he watched Noah bend over and laugh.

"The look on your face!" Noah laughed.

"Noah. Listen to me." Luke said quickly and bent down by Noah's head. "I want to talk to you."

Noah stood up and nodded. He wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and said, "You have my... ha ha... full attention."

Luke leaned close and said, "First of all I want to-"

Noah cracked up again.

It took Luke a moment to figure out why, then he said, "Fine, strike that. I will never say 'first of all' ever again."

"You two cool in there?!" Taylor shouted from the living room. He chuckled at Luke's lack of sophistication around Noah. ONLY around Noah. Luke seemed to function fine around everyone else. _'Noah gets to him.'_** Taylor thought and smiled.**

"Yes!" Luke shouted, "We're good." He looked at Noah and asked, "Right?"

Noah nodded. "Yes. Sorry I was jealous."

**Luke put a finger to Noah's lips and said, "Listen to me. I know we don't know each other well yet, but I want you to know I have never cheated on anyone before and I promise I'm not going to start."**

"So you're saying we do have some type of commitment to each other. You're sure you want this... with a complete stranger?" Noah asked. He wanted it too, but this arrangement seemed too good to be true.

"Yes. We have time to get to know each other. What about you? Are you a cheater?" Luke grinned and ran his hand across Noah's chest.

Noah dropped his head and took Luke's hand. He held it in his strong grip and admitted, "I did once, but it was a long time ago. I've been cheated on too. My last boyfriend in fact. I met him on the job."

Luke asked warily, "At... uhhhh... 'Hot Men'?"

Noah's head came up and he shook his head. "No not at the porno magazine. My ex is an underwear model. I met him when I took his photo."

Luke raised his eyebrows and breathed out. "An underwear model? Have you ever dated someone not soooo.... perfect before?"

"No one is perfect. Take me for instance."

Luke looked at him and said, "You are perfect, even that scar on your eyebrow is perfect."

Noah smiled and said, "Oh that? I had a little too much to drink a couple of years ago and tripped. Now where were we? Oh yes. No one is perfect Luke. Makeup and lighting is the key. Those and digital touch ups. Oh, and added enhancements too." Noah leaned close to **Luke's ear and whispered, "I had to enhancement 'that' area to give him an extra 2 inches and let me tell you, it would have helped our sex life as well."**

Luke pushed Noah away and giggled. "You are really funny Noah." he stated and eyed him. "I really admire that in a person- someone who can make me laugh."

Noah grinned, his white teeth gleaming. "Thank you. Do you want to kiss and make up now?" he asked with a devilish glint in his eyes.

Luke still wanted to know if Noah was going out with Taylor and hinted, "Actually, I slept all day and didn't get to write, so if you have plans to go out...."

Noah shrugged, "Alright you go write. I'll catch ya later. Maybe we can watch a movie or something on tv tonight?"

Luke nodded and walked out of the kitchen to the stairs of his loft. "Later Taylor." he said to his roommate in the living room and waved as he took the steps up to his bedroom.

"Ok Luke." Taylor turned and watched him head up, then he saw Noah walk into the room. He stood up and said, "I can go to my bedroom if you two want to be alone up there."

Noah looked at the loft, then at Taylor and shook his head and said, "Nah, he's going to write."

Taylor remembered what Luke said about Noah and decided to ask anyway, "Where do you want to go tonight?"

Noah looked to the loft, then at Taylor and answered, "Sorry, I have a.... a thing with Luke, no going out with other guys."

**  
Taylor laughed and waved his hand. "We're not going out. We're friends Noah. JUST friends. Ask him to come along if you think he'd get jealous."**

Noah shrugged. Taylor was his roommate and it wasn't like they were going out as a couple. He contemplated his answer for what seemed like a long time. He sighed and said, "I guess I could since Luke is busy. I'll pop up there and ask first."

Luke fumed after hearing their conversation. Yes Taylor was only their roommate, but he remembered how attracted Noah was to Taylor. He had been too for that matter, but he got over it when he and Noah began... dating? Fooling around? What could he call it other than one night of passion with a commitment to be monogamous? Did he really trust Noah? He usually didn't trust anyone this fast. It was like time had sped up and he lost his sense of rationality. He was acting like a fool in love. Love? No lust. Luke shook his head. _'Love? Not this soon, not this fast, no it's just about the sex and the physical attraction at this point in time._****

Luke pounded frustratedly on the keyboard just when Noah came up and knocked on the wall, since Luke didn't have a door. The whole area wasn't really wasn't meant as a bedroom, but as an open library, office or den.

"Luke?"

Luke ignored him and pretended to be immersed in what he was doing.

Noah walked up behind him and placed his hands on Luke's shoulders, massaged them lightly and leaned down to his ear. He licked it and whispered, "Taylor would like to go out tonight, come along with us."

"I'm busy." Luke squinted his eyes, never taking his eyes off the screen or his fingertips off the keyboard.

**  
"I can see that, but can you stop and come out with us?" Noah breathed on Luke's neck then licked it. He sunk his teeth into Luke's skin and murmured, "Mmmm, you tasted exquisite."**

Luke's body had a mind of its own. His head fell back- allowing Noah to suck on his skin. He moaned his pleasure as he became semi-hard, feeling the need to release his pent up anger. Sex would definitely release the tension he was feeling.

"Get up." Noah whispered into his ear.

Luke didn't want to, but his body did. It was betraying him and he ended up following his heart instead of the thoughts telling him to stay angry.

Noah took Luke in his embrace, one arm circling his waist and the other grabbing his ass. Their lips met and their cocks rose and hardened quickly with uncontrollable lust. Luke's hand rubbed Noah's thick erection through the fabric of his denim, while his own cock throbbed for attention.

"Are you guys coming or not?" Taylor called up to the loft.

Luke looked at Noah and said in a low voice, "I'm not going to be 'cumming' if you leave, but you can go with Taylor if you want to. I'm not going to put conditions on you, not at this stage of our.... what are we?"

Noah shrugged a shoulder and answered, "Friends with benefits?"

"Ok. Go have fun." Luke said and hurriedly turned away, feeling a little disappointed. _'What do I expect? A serious relationship already? I really do want more than sex with him, but if I say anything about being boyfriends, he's going to freak out.'_****

**  
"You're sure?" Noah asked, sensing that Luke didn't really want him to go.**

"Yes." _'No!'_****

"This won't bother you? You know I'm not going out with Taylor to fulfill that bet. We agreed to drop it. Remember?"

Luke nodded. "I know."

Noah stared at the side of Luke's face and asked, "So why do you look like you lost your best friend? Wanna get off before he and I go?"

"You know," Taylor called out to the loft, "I CAN hear you. What's this about a 'bet'?"

Noah's mind was lost in thought, thinking how to explain what he'd just said aloud about the bet.

Luke walked to the partial wall and leaned over. "He and I had a little bet." he answered honestly.

"What kind of bet?" Taylor teased, "Who could sleep with me first?" he raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms with a grin.

"No!" Luke stated loudly. "Just who could get you to ask us on a date first."

Taylor shook his head and rolled his eyes. He was flattered. He laughed and said, "Well you have each other now."

**  
Noah smiled, took Luke's hand and asked, "Out of curiosity, who would you have asked out? Or don't you want to say?"**

"Look, I don't want you two to fight, so lets just drop it." Taylor answered.

"-But you would have asked one of us out?" Luke asked.

"Maybe." Taylor said and turned away. "but then I saw your attraction to each other and I dropped it."

"Which one of us?" Noah asked.

"Not telling you guys." Taylor said and sat on the couch.

Noah looked at Luke and said, "It has to be you. He's known you longer and you are adorable."

"No, you have the body. He's mentioned how amazing you look without a shirt." Luke said and stared at the back of Taylor's head. He 'humphed' and said, "Just tell us. I'm going crazy not knowing."

Taylor put his arm on the back of the couch and turned his head. "Both of you."

"Both?" Noah asked.

"Yes. Both of you... all of us together." Taylor said in all seriousness.

**Luke looked at Noah, who had a slight smile on his face. **_'Noah looks interested. I knew that he and I never had a chance. I'll never be happy. I'll never meet someone that wants only me.'_** He heard Noah chuckle. Luke hung his head and went back to his chair. He sat down and began typing.**

Noah stood next to Luke and asked, "Have you ever been in a threesome?"

Luke looked up and scowled, "No! And I don't want one, but you go right ahead."

That made Noah laugh, which caused Luke to feel like shit.

Noah teased, "Luke, I can't go right ahead, it takes three not two. Besides, we have an agreement. I didn't forget and I don't renege on my promises."

Luke whooshed a breath of air and grinned, "You don't know how happy I am! I was worried that you thought we were moving too fast, I mean we are, but I really think-"

"You talk a lot." Noah smirked. "At least now when you talk to me you make sense. You're not jumbling your words."

"I did go to college Noah. You fluster me sometimes and make me sound like a bumbling idiot." Luke chuckled.

"Do you mind if I go out then?" Noah asked, "I mean Taylor and I will be out of your hair and you can concentrate on your hot sex scenes or whatever you're writing."

But still, Luke didn't really want him to go now that he knew Taylor had the hots for both of them. He didn't know Taylor very well either and thought it was a possibility that his roommate might work on Noah and convince him to have a threesome. Was Noah strong enough mentally to thwart off Taylor's advances or would he cave?  
****

_'Noah easily fell into bed with me. Is he easy? I don't know! Should I trust him or not? I'm going to get hurt. I can't do this right now, I can't let myself fall for him before I personally know him. I can't--'_****

"What are you thinking? You look really intense." Noah stared at the blond.

Luke looked at Noah and winced. "Noah? I don't think we should have this agreement. It's too soon and-"

Noah stopped hearing Luke. His head was reeling with what Luke had said. _'He wants Taylor now because Taylor admitted he was attracted to both of us. Luke wants a shot at him!'_****

"Did you hear me?" Luke asked Noah. He didn't think the brunette was listening. In fact, he was sure he hadn't heard him because he neither agreed or disagreed with him when he asked Noah if he wanted to date Taylor. Or maybe Noah HAD heard and didn't want to reply?

Luke mumbled slowly, "You better go. Taylor is waiting." He brooded, staring at his screen.

Noah heard Luke say that. He swallowed and nodded. He watched Luke type, then he looked at the bed. It was still a mess from their lovemaking. _'He doesn't want me anymore. He wants Taylor. Maybe Luke is a slut. Once he's had someone he's done with them. No, that makes no sense. He's a nice guy, but he's killing me.'_****

Noah drew a breath and said grimly, "Bye." then he turned and left without waiting for a response from Luke. Downstairs he said to Taylor, "Let me change and we'll head out." and went to his bedroom.

**Taylor looked to the loft and asked, "Are you coming Luke?"**

"No!" Luke said loudly, with a tone of defiance and sarcasm, "I'm not going. You and Noah have a great time. Have a terrific time!"

Taylor frowned at Luke's jealous nature. "Luke, I wouldn't break you two up by asking you for a threesome. You guys really like each other and I am not going to come between you and him."

Luke bit the inside of his cheek so hard that tears formed in his eyes. "We aren't a couple Taylor. Have at him. He and I had one night together-"

Noah walked into the living room and smiled at Taylor.

Luke continued, "-it meant nothing."

Noah looked to the loft as his heart sank. _'What? Our one night together... meant nothing?'_****

Taylor's anger surfaced when he saw Noah's crestfallen face. "LUKE!" Taylor yelled.

"WHAT?!" Luke yelled back.

Noah came close to Taylor and whispered, "Lets just go. I don't want to be here anymore."

Taylor nodded because he understood that Luke was being a jealous jerk. He hoped Noah knew that.

**"I shouldn't have said anything about a threesome." Taylor said as he drove to the nearby club they've been to before.**

"It's not your fault." Noah said, staring out the window with a gloomy look on his face.  



	7. Chapter 7

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 7

RATED: R- NC-17 M/M SEX (ASSUME LUBE IS USED) INNUENDOS & LANGUAGE

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER & A DRUG IS USED

SUMMARY: NOAH AND TAYLOR GO OUT, LUKE JUMPS TO CONCLUSIONS & INTRODUCING KRIS.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.****

* * *

****

Taylor and Noah walked into the club and had a drink before Noah asked Taylor to dance. They were in the middle of the second dance when Taylor was asked to dance by a good looking guy with blonder hair than Luke's. Taylor said yes, leaving Noah in the lurch. Noah decided to go to the bar and order a drink. The man next to him smiled and asked him to dance. Bored, Noah took him up on the offer and danced for quite a while.  


**  
Taylor was having a great time with Kris, the blue-eyed, blond that approached him before, but he kept an eye on Noah. He didn't want to see his new roommate mess around with another guy and hurt Luke.  
**

**  
A few hours later, Taylor lost sight of Noah and excused himself from his conversation ****with Kris. He found Noah and the man he'd seen him with all night in the bathroom making out. The man seemed to be touching Noah everywhere and Noah seemed totally out of it or unaware what was going on. Either he was really drunk or drugged. Taylor knew he had to get Noah out of there now.  
**

**  
"HEY!!" Taylor yelled and grabbed the stranger by the back of his shirt and pulled him off Noah.  
**

**  
"Who the fuck are you?!" the guy yelled and bared his teeth.  
**

**  
Taylor thought quick on his feet, "I'm his boyfriend! What did you do to him?!" he shouted and went to Noah, who was sliding down the wall with his pants undone.**

****

"Nothing, he came on to me!" the guy said and ran out of the bathroom before being stopped by a bouncer who had heard the yelling.

****

"Noah?" Taylor pulled him up and held onto him. "Noah, can you stand?"  


**  
"Nnnnooo..." Noah answered, weak and confused.**

****

"Come on, try. I have you. Let's walk." Taylor said, helping Noah out of the bathroom.  


**  
Kris saw Taylor struggling to help an attractive man and offered to help. Taylor gratefully accepted the offer and told him to take Noah's other arm. They eventually got Noah into Taylor's car after much coaxing and cajoling. **

****

Taylor looked at Kris and asked, "Wanna come home with me?"

****

Kris readily accepted with a grin. He opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

****

Taylor got in, started the car, and drove toward the townhouse. He asked, "What happened in the bathroom Noah?"  


**  
"I....I don't knowww..." It was very hard for Noah to think and speak.  
**

**  
"Are you drunk?"**

****

"Noooo..."

****

"Did that guy buy you a drink?" Taylor asked, sure that Noah had been slipped a roofie.  


**  
"Mmm?" Noah hummed.  
**

**  
"A drink?"  
**

**  
"No thanks." Noah shook his head. **

****

Taylor had to chuckle at that, but he soon became very angry that someone had tried to take advantage of his roommate. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and glanced at Noah after he turned on the overhead light to check on him. He seemed to be doing ok, except for the swaying, sweating and incoherent mumbling.  


**  
Kris leaned forward and asked, "What happened to him?"**

****

"I think some bastard slipped something in his drink. I found him in the bathroom with the sly weasel trying to get into his pants." Taylor grumbled and scowled as he stared at the road. 

****

"Is he your boyfriend?" Kris asked, not sure if Taylor asked him to come home with him for a threesome or what.

****

Taylor chuckled and looked at Kris in the rearview mirror. "No. he's one of my two roommates. His name is Noah. The other one is a bookworm named Luke. They were 'together' for a short while until they had a spat."  


**  
"Hm." Kris nodded and studied Taylor's face every time he turned to check on Noah. "How old are you?"**

****

"Ah what?" Taylor gasped, shocked at Kris's bluntness. "How old are YOU? 16?"  


**  
Kris looked down and mumbled an apology. "Sorry, you look different in this light. The red and blue lasers at the club made you look different. I was just curious. And for your information, I'm 21. I went out to celebrate and happened to meet you."**

****

"21 huh?" Taylor looked in the mirror. Kris looked different in this light too, younger than what Taylor thought.  


**  
"Yup." Kris grinned and leaned forward on Taylor's seat. "Today."**

****

"Well, happy birthday Kris." Taylor stated and drove into the gated community after waving at the guard. He and Kris pulled Noah out of the front seat and were walking to the entrance to the townhouse when Kris brought up Taylor's age again."So, you didn't answer. How old are you?"

****

Taylor peered around Noah's body and stared at Kris. "You mean how young."  


**  
****Kris smiled and shrugged, "Sure." then he felt Noah slip and grabbed him tighter.**

****

"Jesus... alright I'm 26, almost 27." Taylor said and held the key to the door. He opened it and the three made it inside.  


**  
Luke hadn't been able to sleep. He heard Taylor and Noah come in and decided he wanted to try to reconcile with Noah, but when he looked over the edge of the wall, he turned pale. He saw three men, not two. **

****

He watched Taylor and some blond-headed kid walking with Noah.

****

"So, are you staying the night um, what was it? Kris?" Taylor asked.

****

"Yes and yes... if you want me to." Kris answered, looking at Taylor and felt like the luckiest person alive because he bagged the tall, dark haired, blue eyed gorgeous man. His friends would be so jealous when they found out. They had bet Kris at the club that he wouldn't stand a chance picking up such a good looking guy.  


**  
"Hell yea I want you to stay. We can have a lot of fun," Taylor purred. "Lets get Noah into bed. I'll undress him while you get naked."**

****

Luke backed away from the wall after he heard Taylor's proposition. He went to his bed, sat down and hung his head. _'It looks like Noah is going to get his threesome. I'll never find love- in this house anyway. Maybe I should get out more and meet the man of my dreams, because he sure as shit isn't coming to me.'_** Luke sighed a ragged breath and laid on the bed. Tears wet his pillow as he realized the effect of losing Noah caused him deep pain. **_'I can't live here with those two. I don't want to see the three of them in the morning. I don't want to see that blond kid those two will most assuredly have sex with and god knows what else. They sure looked like they were already intimate with each other.'_**  
**

**  
**

* * *

**  
****  
The next morning...**

Taylor walked into Noah's bedroom and woke him up for work. Noah struggled to get up and get dressed. He forewent his shower, deciding he didn't feel as if he could stand that long under the water. He walked to the kitchen to help make breakfast.  


**  
"I've got it. Go sit at the table." Taylor said in a soft tone, looking at Noah's haggard face.  
**

**  
"Who are you?" Noah asked the young guy sitting at the dining room table as he sat down.  
**

**  
Kris smiled at Noah and asked, "You don't remember?"**

****

Taylor sat at the table and said to Kris, "Of course he doesn't remember. He was drugged."

****

Noah looked at Taylor and asked quietly in hopes of not hurting his pounding head, "What? Drugged? And who the hell is this kid?" as he pointed to the young, blue-eyed blond.  


**  
Taylor looked at Kris and raised his eyebrows.  
**

**  
"I'm Kris." he grinned at Taylor, then at Noah. **

****

"Ok Kris, keep it down. My head hurts and Luke is sleeping, I think." Noah said. He looked at Taylor with questioning eyes, ready to ask him about the statement he made about his being drugged, but he was interrupted.

****

"My birthday was yesterday." Kris said jovially.  


**  
Noah looked at Kris and said, "Good for you. How old are you now? 19?"  
**

**  
Taylor chuckled with a mouthful of eggs.**

****

"No, I'm 21. The legal age to drink. I went to that club last night with some friends and I met Taylor. The very first guy I approached."  


**  
Noah looked at Taylor and arched an eyebrow. "You're scoping out young virgins?" he teased.  
**

**  
"I am not a virgin!" Kris said adamantly. Then he saw the look of pain on Noah's face and whispered, "Ooops. Sorry for yelling- I'm not a virgin," He glanced at Taylor. With a wink he added, "anymore."**

****

Taylor rolled his eyes and said, "Had I known."

****

"Too late." Noah said chuckled.

****

Kris looked from Taylor and Noah and said loudly, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. I'm not a baby! Sorry Noah. I didn't mean to raise my voice."

****

"Taylor? Can you tell me what happened last night?" Noah asked and leaned forward on the table to steady himself. 

****

"I don't think you should go in to work today." Taylor said, then proceeded to tell Noah what happened at the club.  


**  
Noah shook his head and replied, "All I remember is dancing with a guy, sort of. He bought ****me a mixed drink. I don't remember anything after that."**

****

"Kris and I brought you back here and I put you to bed." Taylor said and drank his juice. He looked at Kris and teased, "Eat up. You're a growing boy." Before laughing quietly for Noah's sake.

****

"I'm not a 'boy' Taylor." Kris pouted.  


**  
"He's kidding." Noah whispered and poured himself a glass of orange juice.  
**

**  
Taylor put his hand over Kris's and said, "Just eat up. You're going to need the energy if you expect to come back. I expect a repeat performance of last night."**

****

Kris beamed. "I can come back? Really?"  


**  
"Yea sure." Taylor said and smiled. "You're cute."**

****

"Cute? Kittens are cute. Puppies are cute." Kris frowned and played with his food. "Cute?"  


**  
Noah wanted to laugh, but a spasm of pain in his head caused him to cry out. **

****

"Stay here." Taylor said to Kris, then he stood up and helped Noah back to the bedroom. He undressed Noah to his underwear before saying, "I have to call you in sick. What's the number?"

* * *

****

Luke stayed in bed, trying to hear the muted conversation at the dining room table. He **peeked over the wall and watched Taylor and the young guy leave. He waited for Noah to leave, but after an hour of listening for the front door to open, he gave up and thought that Noah had left earlier than the other two.  
**

**  
Luke put on a pair of jeans, forgoing his shirt, and walked downstairs to get something to drink and eat. He gasped as he was surprised to see Noah in the kitchen in his underwear opening a bottle of aspirin. **

****

Noah heard Luke's intake of breath and glanced behind himself quickly. "Hi." he said with a whisper and a slight smile, then turned around and shook out two tablets of aspirin into his hand.

****

"You look like shit. Is that the style now?" Luke muttered sarcastically.

****

Before Noah could react and respond, Luke spoke again.

****

"Rough night huh?" Luke said as he glared at Noah's muscular back. _'I hope his hangover is one of the worst ones he's ever had. He deserves it! He deserves to be incapacitated today. All three of those sex maniacs do.'_**  
**

**  
"Very." Noah groaned and tipped his head back as he popped the pills into his mouth.  
**

**  
Luke mumbled, "Serves you right asshole." He opened the fridge, took out a Snapple and uncapped it.**

****

"What did you say?" Noah said quietly and winced.  


**  
"I SAID IT SERVES YOU RIGHT!!!" Luke yelled and watched Noah cover his ears and cringe.  
**

**  
****"Shhhhh! God Luke... please be quiet." Noah whispered.**

****

"SORRY!" Luke shouted at the top of his lungs and left. He went upstairs, hearing Noah groan. He smiled smugly to himself and sat at his desk. 

****

Noah had watched Luke leave with one eye squinted shut as if that would help the ringing in his ears. He did have a hangover- a drug hangover. He didn't know what Luke's problem was. All he knew was that the blond was being overly obnoxious today.  


****

Noah rested his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands, trying to relieve the pressure on his brain and thought about Luke. Luke didn't know what happened to him and probably thought he had drank his way to a hangover? _'Why should he be angry about that? Even if I had been drinking and had a hangover I'm an adult. I can do what I want. What is his problem? Whatever I decide to do when I go out stopped being his business when he decided he couldn't be with me. Aggghh! That man is going to drive me nuts! I guess I should let him cool off and talk to him later.'_** Noah stood up and went to his bedroom to rest.**

* * *

****

Taylor came home a short while after work to a quiet house. He let Kris pass through the doorway first and motioned to the couch, asking, "Want something to drink?"

****

"Sure." Kris sat on the couch and turned around to face Taylor.

****

"Water? Soda?" Taylor asked walking backwards to the kitchen.

****

"Soda." Kris answered and smiled at Taylor. 

****

"Coming right up." Taylor said and turned around. First he went to Noah's bedroom and **lightly rapped on the door. "Noah?" he whispered after he opened the door. **

****

Noah was lying on the bed, facing away from Taylor. Taylor stared at his body for a while to make sure he was breathing. He was. He backed out and closed the door quietly, then he went to the kitchen. He took out two sodas and walked into the living room. He handed one soda to Kris and walked to the bottom of the loft's stairs.  


**  
"Luke?" Taylor called out semi quietly- just loud enough to get his voice to rise to the bedroom. "Are you awake?" Getting no answer, he shrugged and went to the couch. He sat next to Kris and opened the tab on his soda. He was drinking when Kris asked about Luke.  
**

**  
"He's a writer. That's his bedroom slash office. I've never been up there so I don't know what it looks like....."**

* * *

****

Luke rolled over when Taylor called him. He had stayed in bed all day, awake, thinking that Noah would come talk to him, but he hadn't. It seemed as if Noah had moved on with the two guys that were downstairs right now. He wondered if the blond guy came back for another threesome with Noah and Taylor. He could hear them talking and put the pillow over his head.

* * *

****

"So they like each other, but they're not together? You should do something." the blue-eyed blond said.

****

Taylor laughed heartily. "Me? I had them together but things went in a downward spiral after they had sex."

****

**"Oh. Well what about me? I can help. Maybe I can explain that they belong together, based on what you said about their chemistry."**

****

"Kris, they don't know you. They're going to blow you off." Taylor set his can of soda on the coffee table. 

****

"Well maybe if I-"  


**  
"No. Just stay out of it." Taylor said sternly. "They're a pair of stubborn 24 year olds who think they each are right and want to blame the other one."  
**

**  
Kris nodded and looked down. "So, are you and I-"**

****

Luke was ticked off and had crept downstairs to talk his roommate. He said with a snarl, "Taylor."  


**  
Taylor turned around. "Did we wake you up?"  
**

**  
"No." Luke said and stared at Kris. "Who is this."**

****

Taylor stated, "His name is Kris. Kris this is my other roommate Luke."  


**  
Kris stood up and put out his hand. "Hi, nice to meet you." **

****

Luke stared at Kris, sizing him up, then looked at Taylor and insulted him. "He's another one of your boyfriends, right?"

****

Taylor ignored the cutting remark and shot Luke a disapproving look. "I met him last night **at the club and I don't have any boyfriends Luke. For now, he and I are just messing around." **

****

Kris stared at Taylor with sadness and a little grief. _'JUST messing around? He just wanted sex? I thought he liked me. I thought we would keep dating and get to know each other. He used me for sex?'_**  
**

**  
"Mm-Hm, so why is he here? To get laid again?" Luke asked, staring at Kris through narrowed lids.**

****

Taylor stood up and grabbed Luke's arm. He pulled him into the kitchen and said, "Listen here! Treat my date with respect or else!"

****

"Oh now he's your date?" Luke said meanly.  


**  
"What is going on in here? Why are you two yelling at each other?" Noah asked, standing next to Taylor.**

****

"He brought that kid back to the house for another threesome with you. I'm out of here." Luke started to walk out of the kitchen, intending to leave the house.  


**  
Taylor grabbed him and said, "What the hell are you talking about? I JUST told you, he's MY date, not Noah's."  
**

**  
Luke pulled his arm away from Taylor's grip. He snarled, "I know about last night. Don't play dumb with me!" **

****

Noah looked at Taylor with puzzlement and received the same look from his roommate in return.  


**  
"What do you know about last night?" Noah asked, referring to being drugged.**

****

Taylor added, "How do you know anything? You were asleep when we got home." 

****

Luke put his hand on his hip and leaned forward. Anger and agitation materialized in his hazel eyes and affected the tone in his voice, "That's what I wanted you to think, but I saw everything. I saw you three come home all chummy and practically grabbing each other." Luke turned to Noah and growled sardonically, "How was your threesome?" then he whirled around and left the two men stunned. 

****

Kris heard the yelling and the content of the argument. He saw Luke practically charging through the living room and stopped him before he could get to the front door. "Um, Luke?" he asked nervously. He didn't know the guy or his temperament, but from what he'd heard in the kitchen he was sure Luke was one of the types to easily flare up at the tiniest misunderstanding. He was sure the root of Luke's anger was jealously.  


**  
"Get out of my way." Luke glared at the other blond.**

****

Kris tried to explain the situation, "There wasn't a threesome. It was my birthday and I-"  


**  
"I don't give a fu-"**

****

Kris interrupted, begging, "Please listen." His blue eyes met Luke's, then he looked away when Luke's stare made him uncomfortable. "I picked up Taylor or maybe he picked up me last night. We helped Noah home because he-"

****

Luke blurted out, "Wanted a threesome- I figured as much. He had too much to drink too. I know, I saw the bastard last night and this morning. He had one helluva hangover and I am happy to say I was very pleased to see him in so much pain."

**  
****  
"No he wasn't hungover Luke. He was drugged." Kris reached out, hesitated, then went ahead and touched Luke's shoulder. "Taylor and I got him to his bed. Taylor helped him get undressed then he and I celebrated my birthday in his room- not with Noah."**

****

Luke's mouth opened. He closed it and licked his lips. "Noah was drugged, not drunk? You and Taylor didn't... with Noah?"

****

"No." Kris shook his head.  


**  
Luke whispered, "Ohhh nooo..."**

****

"It's alright. Noah's ok. The guy that drugged him didn't get far because Taylor rescued him." Kris smiled, seeing relief in Luke's eyes. "The bouncer caught the guy and called the cops."  


**  
Luke raised his hand and put it on his forehead as he shook his head with scattered thoughts, **_'This just shows that I'm not ready for a commitment. I'm too jealous and I jump to conclusions. That doesn't make for a good relationship. It shows the lack of trust I have in him. There's nothing wrong with Noah, it's all me.'_

****

Taylor walked into the room hearing what Luke said. He asked Luke, "How could you think Noah would do that? Or me for that matter?! I said I wouldn't come between you two! I am a man of my word." Taylor looked at Luke's face with anger. "You know what? Noah was devastated when you said it meant nothing when you and he made love. You didn't see his face. You didn't hear the pain in his voice when I tried to talk to him about it."  


**  
"I'm sorry Taylor. I just don't know about him and-"**

****

Noah walked into the living room hearing Luke talk about him. He cast his eyes down and asked, "Am I interrupting?"

****

Taylor grabbed Kris's hand and took him to his bedroom so Luke and Noah could talk.  


**  
Noah fixed his blue eyes on Luke's. He saw unsureness clouding and darkening Luke's gorgeous eyes where he used to see affection or, he had hoped, a smidgen of love in his eyes.  
**

**  
**_'I have to make Luke want me AND make him believe that I honestly want him. I need to help him cast away all doubts and reservations about getting involved with me. I need to break down that wall he built up in one day. He was so open and relaxed with me before. I want that guy back.'_

****

Noah wanted to touch Luke to reassure him that he was there for him, but he was fearful Luke would flinch away. "Luke, why won't you talk to me?"

****

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm not interested in you any more?" Luke tried to sound cold, but Noah saw his lip tremble.

****

Noah responded in a hurt voice, "Don't. Don't say that. I know when a man wants me Luke. I've told you, I am not into one night stands or short term affairs. I'm not into fucking just to fuck to satisfy my needs. I am not out to get what I can." Noah said, hoping he sounded convincing because after all, it was the truth. 

****

Luke looked up just as Noah stepped close. Noah wanted him and intended to have him no matter what. He cradled Luke's head and kissed him with an intensity that burned the blond's senses. When Noah pulled away, he said, "Now tell me you're not interested. Tell me to go to hell. Tell me to leave you alone."  


**  
Luke couldn't tell him that. Noah had wedged his way into his life in the short time he knew him and he wasn't sure how it had happened. He was consumed by Noah, enamored and it showed in his eyes. Luke shook his head. He was too choked up by that kiss to answer. His ****hands touched Noah's chest. He stared at it, feeling the hard muscle under Noah's soft shirt. **

****

Noah spoke, his voice husky and tight, "Come on Luke. Say it for me. I need to know... need you to say it."

****

Luke gazed up and saw the pleading look in Noah's worried blue eyes. He saw Noah's confidence waning and the desperate look of wanting to be wanted replacing it.

****

Luke decided to trust his instincts. He regained control of his thoughts and began to think with reason. He threw his arms around Noah and said, "Yes, yes I do want you Noah. Dammit, I have since I met you."  


**  
Noah breathed deeply. With a raspy voice full of emotion he said, "You're sure now? I don't want to go through this again. I want you to trust me completely."  
**

**  
"I do." Luke said and felt the heat of Noah's cheek on his face. He pressed his head against it, feeling desire. He wanted Noah to kiss him again. He pushed his thigh against Noah's leg and let out a faint whimper.  
**

**  
Noah understood Luke's need and without hesitation he kissed the blond more roughly, with his eyes trained on Luke's soft hazel ones. He stopped, and said, "I missed your kiss." then he kissed him lightly before he wrapped his arm around Luke.  
**

**  
Luke caressed Noah's hair and in a lustful voice, "Come to my bed."  
**

**  
"You don't want to think about this?" Noah asked in a husky whisper, unsure that Luke was ready to take this upstairs.  
**

**  
Luke replied, "Yes. I never expected to fall so hard for someone like I've fallen for you. I want ****this with you. I want a relationship with you, not just a sexual one, although that is a great motivator," he chuckled, "but I want what I feel between us right now. When I'm near you I feel it and when I'm not near you I miss it."  
**

**  
Noah caressed Luke's cheek and took his hand. He led Luke upstairs and undressed him slowly, paying close attention to his body and what his fingers could make Luke's body feel. He saw goosebumps rise and nipples tighten, he saw Luke's stomach tense when he dragged a finger across it and felt Luke's cock rise when he tenderly pumped it.  
**

**  
"Uhhhmmm..." Luke moaned, pressing his erection into Noah's hand before abruptly stopping the movement to say, "I want to undress you." and stepping back.  
**

**  
Noah smiled and raised his arms for Luke to pull his shirt over his head.  
**

**  
Luke dropped the shirt on the floor and kissed Noah's neck. He heard Noah's sharp intake of breath when he sucked gently on the skin. Noah put his hands on Luke's backside and grazed his hand across Luke's ass, caressing the smooth skin.**

****

Luke reached down, his lips and tongue still attached to Noah's neck, and undid the brunette's pants, then pushed them past his lean hips. Noah wiggled out of them, not wanting to break Luke's concentration, but he did anyway when he spoke. 

****

"Lets go to the bed." Noah said, feeling his cock growing firmer. He backed Luke up and laid him on his back, then laid next to him. He stared at the blond, who stared right back.  


**  
"Who?" they said at the same time and laughed. **

****

"I don't mind," Luke said, "but tell me now if you'd rather be top tonight."  


**  
Noah ran his finger down Luke's nose and murmured, "I want you to. I think I'll always want ****you inside me."**

****

Luke nodded and sat up. He straddled Noah's thighs and leaned over Noah to kiss his chest. He bit a tan nipple and licked the slight sting of pain away. 

****

"God Luke..." Noah sucked air in through his teeth as Luke nibbled on the other nipple. That was one of the most sensitive parts on his body and the most stimulating. He shivered uncontrollably as Luke circled it with the tip of his tongue.

****

"Luuuuke...Ohhhh...God..." A moan escaped as Noah's throat as his cock pulsed against Luke's body, showing how much pleasure he was receiving by Luke's actions.  


**  
"Beg for it Noah." **

****

"Please... please touch me... make love to me now." Noah held Luke's head and stared pleadingly, his eyes a brilliant shade of blue.

****

"Jesus Noah. That look... just... mmm." Luke smiled crookedly. "I'm definitely gonna rock your world." he promised, planting a deep kiss on his lips. His tongue pushed into Noah's soft mouth, exploring and caressing his silky tongue. Luke pressed their bodies together, grinding their hips and firm erections against each other's blazing body.

****

Noah's hands massaged Luke's back, then grabbed his ass when Luke stopped kissing him. Luke drew his tongue down Noah's jaw to his neck to his shoulder. Luke spent a moment there to nibble on the skin with his teeth, then took a careful and quick bite, causing Noah to gasp and arch his neck.

****

"Ahhhh, ummm!"  


**  
Luke let out a low, short chuckle and licked his way back up Noah's neck to rest on his ear. ****He playfully nipped at his earlobe and whispered, "I love your body."  
**

**  
Noah didn't have time to respond because Luke placed his hands on both sides of his head and claimed his mouth again. In turn, Noah moaned loudly on Luke's mouth. **

****

Luke suddenly came to a realization. He sat up and said, "Noah! We can't do it here. Taylor and that kid... what's his name... will hear you." he whispered a friendly warning, "You're too noisy."

****

Noah commented with a grin, "I'll try to be quiet." 

****

"Okaaaayyy...." Luke drawled with a slight smile, uncertain if Noah could actually remember to subdue and control himself in the throes of passion.

****

"Really!" Noah's grin grew wider, sounding positive that he could undertake the task.  


**  
Luke nodded and lubed up a finger. He fingered Noah's hole, hearing Noah draw in a little breath. "Uuuuuuh..."**

****

Luke used his first two fingers and ran them up and down, from just under Noah's balls and across his hole. He felt Noah's entrance contract and relax as he massaged it, then he slid both fingers inside.  


**  
Noah groaned and moaned at the intense feeling of being gratified by only two digits. Two long digits that stroked that certain sensitive spot. "Ahhhh... shhhhhiiit!"**

****

"Shhhh Noah." Luke laughed. He saw Noah give him a sultry look and decided he didn't care how loud Noah was. He didn't want to restrain him. "Forget I said anything." _'If he likes what I'm doing to his body and he's enjoying himself who am I to tell him he has to act and be a certain way. I love him for who he is.... What? Love him? Huh. Maybe I do.'_

****

"Noah?"

****

Noah drew out his answer, "Yeaaa..." Luke was still thrusting his fingers inside and Noah was losing control.  


**  
"I think... I love you?" Luke said and winced, waiting for Noah's reaction.  
**

**  
Noah raised his head and asked, "Did you say...? You did, didn't you?"**

****

Luke licked his lips and slowed his fingers, expecting Noah to bolt. "It's too soon right? But I feel... I feel it with you."

****

Noah's grin showed happiness and his eyes shown brightly. "I feel the same way. I feel like I've known you longer than I have- a lot longer."  


**  
Luke's face softened. He pulled his fingers out and moved between Noah's legs. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, holding his hard cock while pointing it at Noah's face.  
**

**  
Noah's eyes widened and he nodded, too speechless to say a word. He was so beyond ready.  
**

**  
Luke smiled and said, "Good, me too, but first..." He let go of his erection, leaned down, and softly kissed Noah's vulnerable lips. Passion quickly took over, causing Luke to clamp his mouth over Noah's and poke his hungry tongue inside to meet Noah's slippery, velvety tongue. Their writhing tongues tangled and moved smoothly against one another. Luke's tongue began thrusting in and out of Noah's mouth, imitating what he was going to do to his hole with his cock. He finally broke away and placed a palm on Noah's cheek and looked into his eyes. "Yes, I definitely love you." he said as he let his hand drag down Noah's cheek, chest, stomach, abdomen until it reached his groin. He grazed a finger from the tip of ****Noah's cock to the base, to his balls and back to his hole where he plunged his finger inside to make sure Noah was relaxed and ready.  
**

**  
Once again, Noah let out a moan. Upon hearing that, Luke suppressed a giddy giggle. He lifted Noah's legs and placed them on either side of his shoulders before holding onto them for support. He pressed his cock against Noah's wet hole and slid inside. With Noah so open, he went in deeply with the first thrust and held still waiting for Noah to give him the go ahead.  
**

**  
Noah raspingly called out. "Please... make love to me!"  
**

**  
Luke watched Noah's pulsing shaft and pulled back, then shoved his length back into him before he pulled back and plunged in deeply again. Noah's muscles contracted, making Luke's stomach flutter. **

****

Feelings of rapture sent Noah into a mind whirl, and even though he couldn't think, he was definitely fully aware he was getting screwed by the man he had fallen in love with.  


**  
Their skin shimmered and shone with a light layer of perspiration as Luke worked Noah's hole energetically and persistently. The air was thick with the smell of sex and sweat.  
**

**  
"Oh, Ahhh! Mmmmhhh, Uhh!!!!" Noah called out hoarsely, trying not to be loud, but it felt too damn good and he couldn't help it.**

****

"Let it out Noah. Uhh, uhhh..." Luke grunted, somewhat in a muted way.  


**  
"UHHH!!! UHHHH!!! OHGODLUKE!"  
**

**  
Luke smiled and plunged and poked and probed harder and rapidly. Noah reached up and wiped the sweat off Luke's forehead and said, "I need to cum."**

****

Luke let go of one of Noah's legs and grasped Noah's cock. He pumped it as his hips diligently kept his rhythm, pace and tempo in time with his fist.

****

Noah breathed hard, then swore loudly as he arched his back and blasted multiple shots of cum onto his own chest. When he was done, he panted and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Goddamn Luke..." 

****

Luke pressed his lips together, drew his eyebrows together, and breathed heavily through his nose as his cock swelled and his balls tightened when he felt Noah's insides compress and squeeze his cock. Luke arched his back and crashed his groin against Noah's ass. He tensed up and gave a few short jabs into Noah as he opened his mouth and let out a long moan when his cock spasmed and erupted streams of cum inside Noah. 

****

He gently lowered Noah's legs to the side and carefully laid on top of him. He stoked his cheek in a loving manner and kissed him. Noah slipped his hands around Luke and embraced him.  


**  
Luke lifted his head and rubbed noses with Noah. He murmured, "I think you should move your stuff up here. I want to be able to feel your body next to mine at night."  
**

**  
"What about my loud moans? Taylor will move out." Noah teased.**

****

Luke turned and looked over his shoulder at the partial wall, then back at Noah. "The owner, my grandmother, knows a contractor. He can build the rest of that wall and we can add a door."  


**  
Noah grinned. "Sounds perfect." **

****

"You're pretty perfect. I love you."

****

"Love you too." Noah kissed Luke and rolled him over. "Now let me show you."


	8. Chapter 8

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 8

RATED: NC-17 FOR M/M SEX (NOT NUKE) & LANGUAGE

SUMMARY: KRIS COMES OVER TO TALK TO TAYLOR, LUKE JUMPS TO THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT NOAH. ****

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

* * *

****

Kris knocked on the townhouse door. Gripping the bag labeled 'Star Video', he waited for someone to answer the door; hoping it would be Taylor. Kris wasn't about to give up on him. He felt connected to him. He would do anything to get Taylor to see that he was all the brunette needed- him and no one else.

Luke answered the door and smiled, "Hi Kris."

Kris answered shyly, beginning to doubt whether he should have come over. "Hi. Uh, is Taylor here?"

Luke winced, "He is, but he's getting ready to go out."

"Oh," Kris stared at his feet. He was beginning to feel like an idiot for coming, especially **considering what he'd done just to see the man who had taken his virginity. He had taken a cab to the townhouse and got dropped off a block away so he could jump the fence to avoid the guard at the gate. Kris wanted his visit to be a surprise, and not be announced.**

"Why don't you come in. Maybe he'll talk to you." Luke opened the door wider.

Kris stepped into the living room and asked for a beer, if they had any. Luke left for the kitchen and brought back a cold bottle of 'Bud'.

"Could you see if Taylor will see me now?" Kris asked, taking a sip of the beer.

Luke nodded and left. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Kris is here! He wants to talk."

Taylor opened the door, wearing only a towel, and pulled Luke in before shutting the door. "What does he want? Why did you invite him in? What am I going to do?" Taylor asked Luke as he got dressed. He stared in the mirror, then at Luke's reflection. "Well? Are you going to answer me?" He picked up a comb and ran it through his dark hair.

Luke shrugged a shoulder and answered, "I don't know. He probably just wants to talk. You did take his virginity. He likes you."

"I like him too, but I want to go out with other guys. I don't want to settle down with one person."

"Be nice and see what he wants." Luke said, watching Taylor comb his hair. "You are attractive; maybe he thinks you're the one for him."

"Ugghh." Taylor closed his eyes and shook his head. "I have a stalker."

**Luke laughed, "A hot stalker."**

"A stalker nonetheless." Taylor snickered, "I guess he's not too bad, but man, I need a change of guys tonight."

"You planning on getting laid?"

"I'm not sure. I want to go out dancing and drinking. I may meet someone, who knows. Since I met Kris, I've decided I'm never bringing any man back here. I should move and not tell him where I live."

"Don't move away!" Luke accidentally screeched.

Taylor grinned and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "I was kidding. I love it here."

Luke relaxed. "Whew. I don't want to go through putting another ad in the newspaper and possibly getting a weirdo for a renter. I lucked out when I got you and Noah."

"What about the blue bedroom? You know, now that it's empty?" Taylor asked and walked out of the bathroom with Luke following him.

"I guess I could rent it out. Know of anyone who needs a place to live?" Luke asked Taylor as they walked into the living room.

"No, my friends in San Marino all have apartments. They work there so I doubt they would want to move here and drive back and forth."

Luke nodded. "I'll ask Noah. Maybe he knows someone who needs a place."

**  
**

* * *

****

"Well," Taylor said to Kris when he reached the young blond. "What do we have here?"

Kris offered his beer to Taylor and shrugged, "I want to talk to you before you go out."

"Yea?" Taylor took a few swallows of 'Bud'. "About what?"

Kris looked at Luke, then at Taylor. He swallowed nervously and asked, "Uh, can we talk in the bedroom where it's private?"

"I can go to the loft if you want." Luke offered. "You can talk in the living room."

"No," Kris said appreciatively, "I know you can hear us, somewhat."

"Fine," Taylor said decidedly, finishing the beer and setting the empty bottle on the end table. Luke quickly picked it up so it wouldn't leave a ring and stain the oak.

"See you in a bit Luke." Taylor said, walking to his bedroom with Kris following him close behind like a puppy. Once there, Kris shut the bedroom door and looked around. Taylor's bed was still unmade from this morning. _'Where we made love, then he said he couldn't see me on a regular basis because he didn't want to be tied down to one person.'_****

"Have a seat." Taylor nodded to the bed. "What's in the bag?" he asked, sounding put out.

Kris sat on the edge of the bed and frowned. Obviously Taylor didn't want him here, but hopefully he would soon. "Just a movie I was hoping we could watch." he mumbled as he looked down, not wanting to meet Taylor's judging, blue eyes.  
****

"What movie?" Taylor asked out of curiosity.

Kris cleared his throat and said with a soft whisper, "Assylum"

"Asylum. Seen it." Taylor said dismissively, "Wasn't that good."

"No.... ASSylum. It's a...."

Taylor laughed, "Porn? You brought porn over here? For what? You think you and I are going........." Taylor stopped speaking and turned away. _'What the hell is wrong with my dick?'_****

"What is it?" Kris asked. He stood up and touched Taylor's shoulder. "Can't we just watch the movie? Please? Then I'll leave. I promise."

"Ah, um, yea... go ahead, but right afterwards you're leaving. Got that?" Taylor said with a deep and frustrated breath. _'I can't leave the room! Luke might see this hard on. I might as well cover up and hide it from Kris too or he's going to get the wrong idea.'_** Taylor chuckled to himself. **_'Who knew a title of a movie would get me turned on!'_****

"You ok?" Kris asked, trying to look around Taylor's body to see his face.

"I'm fine! Put the movie in already." He said, beginning to feel a little reluctant about watching a movie- a porn movie- with the guy who had a major crush on him. When he was sure Kris was facing away from him to put the DVD in his machine, he went to the bed, sat down, and pulled up the sheet to his waist. He laid back, leaning on the headboard and interlaced his fingers across his stomach.

Kris took off his shoes and socks and asked Taylor, "Want another beer?"  
****

Thinking it would give his body time to lose his erection, Taylor looked at Kris and nodded. "If you don't mind getting a couple."

"Not at all." Kris said with a smile and walked out to the kitchen where he overheard Luke on the phone.

"What time will you be home? I'm lonely and my body needs your attention." Luke asked anxiously before waiting for a response.

Luke asked, "Why so late?"

"You're shooting who?"

"Him?!! Noah, I-"

"No I'm not jealous. I know you trust him and I trust you, but I don't trust HIM."

"Because you used to date this guy. Do you really have to take pictures of him in his underwear? Can't someone else do it?" Luke asked, sounding desperate.

"Yea, ok. See you after 1am." Luke sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead and face. He muttered, "Me too. Love you."

Kris walked to the living room and asked if Luke was alright.

"No." Luke responded dropping hard on the couch. Kris handed him one of the beers he had in his hand. Luke took it and opened it. "So Luke, what is going on with you and Noah?"  
****

Luke glanced up at Kris and took a sip. "He's on a photo shoot."

"And?"

"I don't want to bother you with my problems; you have your own." Luke said, snuggling into the couch.

"I don't mind." Kris said, genuinely concerned, and sat next to Luke. "Really."

"Ok, since you asked. He's taking photographs of this underwear model he used to date 3 months ago. I don't trust his ex."

"I don't know Noah, but to me he seems nice and not the type to be swayed into cheating."

"I guess. It's just that he said it would only take a couple of hours, now it's going to take a really long time. He and his ex had dinner together, now they're just starting to take pictures. Why didn't he tell me he was going out to eat first?" Luke said, his anger surfacing.

"He did tell you- just now on the phone." Kris said and touched Luke's shoulder to show that he was understanding and to calm Luke down. It worked.

"You are a great guy Kris. You really should find someone your own age. Taylor doesn't want to settle down. I don't want to see you get hurt." Luke stared at Kris's blond hair and blue eyes. "You could get anyone."

"Guys my age are immature and don't want to settle down either Luke. Besides, I really like Taylor. Really like him. I'm gonna get him and he's never going to want to let me go."  
****

Luke shook his head. "Be careful. He's determined."

"So am I." Kris smiled and stood up. "I better get back in there. He's probably wondering where I am."

"Good luck." Luke said, absentmindedly. He had other thoughts on his mind. He drank his beer and slammed another one, then walked up to the loft carrying a couple more cold bottles of 'Bud'. He decided to sit at his computer and work on his story 'Behaving Badly'.

* * *

****

Kris took the one beer into Taylor's bedroom. He noticed Taylor had undressed to his boxer briefs. He smiled and gave the dark haired, blue eyed, man his beer.

"You're not having one?" Taylor asked in a strained voice, uncapping the beer and drinking from the bottle.

Kris eyed the dark, curly hair on Taylor's chest and shook his head no. He sat next to Taylor and glanced at the tv. Someone was getting their ass spanked. Kris could hear Taylor's deep breathing and could see how flushed and sweaty he was. Kris guessed that was what had prompted him to ditch all his clothes except his briefs. Taylor was trying unsuccessfully hide his erection by putting his hand over that area, but Kris got a good look at how hard he was. He could see the head of Taylor's cock poking out the top of his waistband and the wetness it was leaking on his stomach. He knew Taylor had to be feeling uncomfortable about now- needing release. He smiled to himself and turned to the TV, seeing a well endowed actor getting ready to impale his cock into another actor's ass.

Taylor drank more beer, then handed it to Kris, who took a long drink.

**Kris said as soft as a whisper, "I'd love to jack off to this part of the movie. It's hard not to touch yourself when you watch porn, isn't it? This one is particularly hot- don't you think?"**

Taylor looked at Kris and felt his need throb in agreement. "Sure, go right ahead. I think it's hard not to... I mean hard for any guy not to jack off during a porn movie. First, get a towel from the bathroom so you don't leave a mess on my bed."

Kris got up and dashed to the bathroom and back. He undressed and folded his clothes neatly and put them on the floor.

Taylor laughed at how neat and organized the kid was. _'Not really a kid. He's 21. Only 5, well almost 6 years younger than I am. Still don't want a boyfriend or to date exclusively like Noah and Luke. I shouldn't have taken Kris's virginity because now I'm paying for it. He has a nice bod though. Jesus I'm so freaking hard!!!'_****

Kris interrupted Taylor's thoughts and insinuated that he join him in jerking off, "If you want to also...."

"I don't need your permission. My house, my bed, my dick." Taylor said, unknowingly rubbing his erection through his cotton briefs.

Kris watched him and the movie, alternating between scenes. The live version was tremendously better than what was on the screen. As hard as he was just being next to Taylor, his dream man, he hadn't touched himself yet.

Taylor couldn't control how his body was feeling. He casually slid down on the bed so only his head was propped up on the pillow resting against the headboard. Kris imitated him, pretending to be absorbed in the guys fucking on the tv.

Taylor looked at Kris and asked, "I thought you were going to jack that cock?"  
****

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Maybe I'm waiting for a different scene." Kris smiled shyly. _'OUR own scene.'_****

"What scene? This is pretty good." he said, pointing to the tv. "You got a top view of that dick pounding that guys ass. Shit!"

"What?" Kris asked with a smile.

"Ohh God! Umm, nothing." Taylor answered, adjusting his erection. It was so hard, pulsing, and uncomfortable- almost painful.

"Doesn't look like nothing Taylor." Kris's voice sounded seductive. "Take your dick out and give it some air."

Taylor stared at Kris through narrow slits. "Did you put something in my beer?"

Kris blushed. "No! Why?"

"No reason." Taylor answered and pushed off his briefs. His erection lay on his stomach, leaving it to drip more precum on his skin. He wanted to touch it so bad, but he didn't.

Kris stared at Taylor's face, then his body. He was gorgeous. "Are you going to... uh, touch yourself?"

"Look, kid... Kris. I told you. I don't need your authorization." he looked at the screen and watched a hot, muscular man shoot his hot cum on another man's cock. Taylor moaned while he watched and finally grabbed his cock.

**  
"That's it, give it a few good strokes." Kris said in an easy, reassuring manner as he watched Taylor do as he was told.**

Taylor was by no means modest, nor did he embarrass easily. He rose his hand up and down causing a trickle of precum to run down to his fist. Kris quickly leaned over and licked it off Taylor's hand, running his tongue up to circle the head of his cock to lap up the remainder of the clear liquid.

"Ahhh,uhhh...." Taylor moaned with a look of torture on his face. "I need to cum so bad." His cock was rock hard, aching, throbbing and engorged. His nuts felt heavy and full. "Turn off that movie." he demanded.

Kris did as he was told and sat next to Taylor, facing him, and watched the brunette pleasure himself. He watched Taylor's hand free run up his body to his chest and pinch a nipple.

Kris smiled and said in awe, "You have such a nice dick. So thick and hard."

"No kidding it's hard. Harder than usual. It almost hurts." Taylor looked at Kris suspiciously and let go of his cock. "What did you give me. I want to know now! And don't say nothing, because I've never felt like this before. I'm so freakin' horny and hard."

"I.... uh.... Vi.... um.... Viagra." Kris said as his posture slumped. He was afraid to move, to breathe. He was scared and worried that Taylor may yell and scream, maybe slap him across the face or worse, press charges for drugging him. All he wanted was to convince Taylor that he could be everything to him. That he could satisfy all of Taylor's needs.

"You little shithead!" Taylor said harshly and sat up. He shook his head and frowned. "You fuck! Get over here now!"

**Kris recoiled when Taylor yelled. Still frightened, he hesitantly crawled up the bed anyway and said quietly, "I'm sorry."**

"Sorry? Sorry for giving me drugs or for making me furious?" Taylor spat.

"Both." Kris said near tears. "I thought you'd need me, you know. That you would want me to get rid of it for you."

"Oh you ARE going to get rid of it for me Kris. Get on all fours."

Kris grinned happily.

Taylor grabbed Kris's face and said sternly, "Wipe that smile off your face. We are fucking. That is all. You drugged me and I have a need. Got it?"

Kris continued to smile as he got into position. He wanted Taylor anyway he could get him. This was just the start. If he could make the brunette see he needed him then he may call him for more and they could fall in love. He felt a slick finger enter him, then two. He groaned with the pressure and pain of stretching as he felt Taylor's urgency.

"I'm not going easy on you kid. You did this to me." Taylor said mischievously with a slight smile. The feeling of being in control overwhelmed his senses.

"That's ok." Kris murmured.

"Don't speak."

Kris nodded his head and focused on the pleasurable feeling of Taylor's skilled fingers opening him up, stretching and caressing him inside. He easily fell in love with those **fingers. "Ahhhh,uhhhmmmm..."**

Taylor smiled at the back of Kris's head. His sounds filled the room, making Taylor even more eager. Kris's moans triggered the feeling of wanting to cum. Taylor poised his thick, needy cock and aimed it at Kris's hole. He was met with some resistance when he pressed against it, but he kept on and grunted when he broke though, entering halfway.

"MMMMFUUUUUCK!" Kris said through clenched teeth. He held his breath and waited for the pain to go away.

Taylor scratched his fingernails down Kris's back. He stated, "I bet your ass is on fire right about now, huh?"

Kris nodded and trembled. With a whimper he answered, "Yes sir."

Taylor waited, stopped his forward motion, to let Kris adjust. He rubbed Kris's ass while he waited for him to loosen up. "You're so tight. So, so tight. Relax."

"I can't! I've only had sex a couple of times, only with you, and your cock is so hard and... it hurts." Kris let out a small cry.

Taylor sighed. "You know, you made me this hard kiddo. Want to stop?"

"I know. I know. Sorry." Kris leaned down on his forearms, putting his head in his hands. "Don't stop." He could feel Taylor's cock throbbing with each heartbeat even though it was only resting inside him. _'I am NEVER going to do something so stupid again! I shouldn't have messed with him. It was so wrong. I hope he forgives me!'_****

"I'm ready." Kris finally said and waited for the onslaught, the wrath of Taylor's cock, but he was pleasantly surprised when Taylor was gentle with him like he'd been the other times **they made love. Kris was sure Taylor would be rough after what he did- lacing the beer he drank in the living room with Viagra to trick him into being with him tonight.**

Taylor slowly worked his way into the tight space, breathing hard, wanting and needing release, but being mindful of Kris's needs too. He sucked in a breath to force himself to keep control of his senses. _'Damn kid drugging me! He's gonna help me get rid of this erection if it takes all night.'_****

Kris groaned blissfully. He knew Taylor was completely inside him when he felt the heat of the brunette's groin against his ass. He arched his back and shivered.

"That was worth the wait." Taylor stated as he looked down at Kris's ass and kneaded it. "I'm ready to cum already."

"I'm ready for you...uuuuhh-" Kris moaned.

Taylor squeezed Kris's ass and said, "Shhhh."

Kris apologized, "Sorry."

Taylor said very quickly with a smile, "Shut it!"

Kris huffed a breath of displeasure through his mouth, causing Taylor to grin ear to ear.

Taylor pulled back and pressed back in slowly several times. "Feel good?"

"Mmm yeahhhh. Really Good. I mean GREAT!" Kris replied and sighed while continuing to arch his back. His own cock swelled and throbbed.

**  
Taylor bounced his hips back and forth, sticking his cock in and out of Kris over and over and faster and faster. His hardness raced across Kris's pleasure spot again and again each time it plunged in and withdrew. Taylor's own orgasm was nearing. He asked Kris if his was, "Are you close?"**

"Mmmm yes. Very close. Uhhhh.... Grab it for me." Kris begged as he moaned.

"No. You can't hold back?" He asked to make sure.

"Nuh-Uh. Please.... jack me?" Kris whispered urgently.

Taylor stated, "No."

Kris begged, "Please? Please Taylor... Dammit!"

Taylor pulled almost all the way out. Then he lunged back in. His hands pulled Kris's hips backwards, into his thrusting body and onto his thrusting cock.

"I want you to shoot your load but don't touch yourself, got it Kris?" Taylor commanded.

"Yes sir. Ohhh, Uh," Kris grunted as Taylor ground the base of his cock against his hole, then pumped in and out of him savagely. Kris raised his backside even higher to feel Taylor's deeper thrusts. Taylor rode him and pummeled him even harder.

Kris's mind emptied. He was ready to shoot, but Taylor told him to make himself cum. He'd never done it handless before. He felt his prostrate being brushed up against constantly and closed his eyes. His cock shuddered and convulsed as his mind went into oblivion.

**Taylor leaned over Kris's back to encourage him. "Cum for me Kris. Shoot it now. Blast your cum."**

"Ahhhhhh! ! ! !" Kris yelled as the muscles in his cock contracted, then he released torrents of cum on the bedsheets.

"Bet that felt good huh? Cumming all by yourself. Not many guys can do it. Takes practice you know, but you're a pro." Taylor said proudly and kissed Kris's back.

Kris sighed tiredly and uttered a single word, "Shit..."

Taylor's mental and sexual drive went nuts. He grabbed at Kris's hips and held himself deep as he came with unbelievable force, coating Kris's insides with his impressive orgasm. He shuddered and began to pump until he came again and only then did his erection go away.

"I need to shower. You?" Taylor breathed strenuously and pulled out of Kris.

"I need to rest." Kris panted, lying on his back and sprawled out on the clean side of the bed.

Taylor laughed. "Ok. I'll be right back, then we should talk."

" 'Kay." Kris said and closed his eyes. He was asleep before Taylor closed the door.

* * *

****

Luke was in the loft. He had heard Taylor or Kris - or both of them - go to the bathroom and start the shower.

**  
He was sitting at his computer when Noah walked in the front door. Luke stood up, swaying, and peered over the wall. He sat back down and squinted at the screen with his eyes blurry, unable to read it. He stood up and undressed and tried to pull up the sheet to cover himself, then promptly passed out from exhaustion and alcohol. Noah made his way up the carpeted stairs to the fairly dark loft. He saw Luke on the bed and the glow from the computer. He was about to shut it down without reading it because he was sure it was Luke's story on the screen, but the word 'Noah' stood out, so he read it.**

"Want me to stop?" the fucking, sleazy model asked.

"Shit NO!" Noah cried out, feeling the 3 inch dick trying to slide in deeper but the fucking, whorish model had the itsy bittiest dick and couldn't. Noah didn't care because he just wanted to get fucked up the ASS by his EX!

The fucking model's disgusting, greasy lips nuzzled Noah's back and neck. His rancid, hot, quick breath hit Noah's ear, telling him he was to the point of shooting his nasty load.

"Keep going." Noah yelled. "Fuck me like you fucked me after dinner and right before the photo shoot!"

"You like it like this don't you Noah?" the fucking slut model asked.

"Yea! You have the perfect body- so beautiful. You have a puny dick, but it still works for me."

"I know what you like." the fucking fuck of an idiot model said, "No one else knows how you like to be fucked do they?"

**  
"No one but you!" Noah grunted, "UHHHHHH!" as the fucking dickhead model rammed his dinky dick into Noah's ass.**

"You have such a sweet ass Noah. Shit it's the best. No one else's ass can compare. I want it and you back, forever."

"I'm yours as well as my ass. Anytime, anywhere. I'm at your beck and call. Fuck Luke- I want you. I want you to fuck me all day and night."

The fucking hooker, ugly ass model said, "No shit Noah?"

Noah pushed his hips back and forth against the fucking floozy's body and said, "YES! UHH! I'm gonna cum! AGAIN!"

The fucking fuck of a fucker model, screamed in his fucking girly whiny voice, "Me too!!" then he shot a tiny load of jizz in Noah's ass.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT FUCKING STORY NOAH? FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR MODEL! I DON'T WANT YOU IN MY BED! GO SLEEP WITH YOUR FUCKING EX AND LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! DON'T EVEN FUCKING TALK TO ME! JUST FUCK OFF!

Noah had to hold in a laugh. Luke's story was hilarious, even though he was sure it wasn't supposed to be, and all the 'F' words in his personal message were so unlike Luke. He saved the message, then noticed the empty bottles of beer on the desk. Luke didn't drink much and 4 beers were a lot for him. He swiveled the chair and looked at Luke. He was lying on his stomach now, partially covered up.

**  
Noah turned off the computer and figured Luke was too drunk to know what he'd written. He undressed and climbed into bed with the blond. Luke let out a sigh with a little squeak and cuddled up to Noah without waking up.**

* * *

****

Taylor walked back into his bedroom after his shower to see Kris spread out and asleep. He shook his head and swept his eyes over the bed. Kris's cum stained the sheet on his side of the bed. _'My side? The whole bed is MY side of the bed. This guy is worming his way into my life and I'm NOT going to stand for it!'_****

"Hey!" Taylor shook Kris awake. "Get up."

"Huuuumm...." Kris mumbled and rolled over.

Taylor smiled when he saw the adorable ass he'd penetrated minutes ago, then he frowned. Kris hadn't used the towel.

_'UHHHGG! My cum is dripping from his ass all over the place. Great! My jizz AND his jizz are all over my expensive sheets. ARRRG!'_****

"Hey there kiddo!" Taylor yelled and gently slapped Kris's arm. "Come on wake your butt up!"

Kris opened his eyes and turned his head. "Hiya baby!" Kris grinned and closed his eyes.

"Oh no you don't." he shook Kris. "Up and at 'em."

"I can't leave." mumbled Kris.

"I can take you home in the morning. I need to change the sheets right now. I'm not sleeping in cum. It's a bitch to get out of the sheets after it dries." Taylor took Kris's hand and pulled him up.

"Thanks." Kris said yawning. "I appreciate it." He helped Taylor strip the bed, then they re-made it with clean sheets.  
**  
"You know.... you didn't use any protection." Kris said looking at Taylor as he put the pillows back on the bed.**

"I realized that when I came the first time." Taylor mumbled. He was in such an altered state of mind that he hadn't thought clearly. He thought since he'd already cum once, what was the harm in continuing and cum a second time? "I'm clean kiddo."

Kris nodded and said, "You are special. You were my first and my first bareback too."

Taylor stared at the blond and wanted to say that being first doesn't matter, that it doesn't mean anything and that there will be other guys, but he couldn't. He remembered his first. He was 15. His parents invited their friends over for a barbeque and his dad's friend eyed him all night. Later, Taylor went into the woods behind the house to sneak a joint. Just when he was done smoking it, his dad's friend showed up and exposed his huge hard on. He asked Taylor if he wanted to suck it. Taylor was high and said yes because he really did want to taste it and see what it was like. He sunk to the ground and opened wide. After a short while, his dad's friend made him pull off just before he came and asked if Taylor had ever had a big cock up his ass. Taylor had said no. His dad's friend undid Taylor's pants and turned him around. He used his own spit for lube and did him right there in the woods.

Taylor shook his head. "Ok you'll remember your first time, but Kris, there will be other guys you'll meet. Guys that use different techniques. I'm not special. Trust me."

Kris's eyes clouded as he looked down.

"Ok?"

Kris nodded, and then yawned. He murmured, "You're special to me." as he got into Taylor's bed and eyed him.

Taylor stared back at Kris. He didn't know what to say to that statement. He actually thought he was in love with his dad's friend too after they had sex, until they went back inside the house and the guy went to his wife and kissed her in front of Taylor.

Taylor sighed and took the dirty sheets and put them in the washer.

_'Maybe that's what I need to do. I need to be seen with another guy, and he'll get the hint __and leave me alone. No, that's just mean. I'm not that type of guy.'_****

When he returned to the bedroom, Kris was asleep again. He checked the clock and saw that it was past 2am already and he had to get up in 4 hours. He shook his head and crawled into bed.

_'I have to be brutally honest with him. No beating around the bush. Oh great. Now he's cuddling, no he's wrapping his whole body around me. Oh man!'_


	9. Chapter 9

THE CHASE

CHAPTER: 9

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge **THANK YOU** For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

Noah woke up and looked at Luke. He was on his back with one arm flung over his head and the other was across his stomach. He had kicked the sheet off himself during the night and had one leg bent at the knee and his other one was straight. Noah grinned at his naked body. His eyes traveled up to Luke's face again, seeing that Luke's mouth was open and he was snoring slightly. He kissed him on the cheek, feeling thankful when Luke didn't wake up. He carefully slid from the bed and went to take his shower. He had to work at 'Hot Male' magazine even though he'd worked late shooting his ex last night.

While Noah was in the shower, he began to think about what he'd read on the computer when he finally returned home. _'Luke was really jealous last night. I wish he had listened to me on the phone. He was drinking though. My lighting assistant, me, my ex boyfriend, and some trainees went out for dinner, not just me and my ex. Is he like this all the time? If so... I don't know if I can deal with him acting like he can't trust me. I suppose I better write him a note so he doesn't get paranoid that I left today without waking him up and saying goodbye like last time. I'll put it on his computer under the message he left me. He'll get a kick out of that... maybe.'_

Noah finished his shower and dressed. Luke was still asleep, so he booted up the computer and sat on the chair at the desk. He brought up the document Luke had used last night and slowly scrolled down, re-reading Luke's story again as he did, and quietly laughing at the scenario. When he reached the bottom of the document, he typed a short message and left the computer on so Luke would be sure to see it. He went downstairs and saw Taylor and Kris at the dining room table eating cold cereal. He smiled at Taylor, but he was somewhat confused as to why Kris had spent the night when Taylor had told him and Luke that he wasn't interested in the 'kid'. Noah took a seat and poured a bowl of Cheerios, adding a teaspoon of sugar before the milk.

"You should get fruit loops. They're really good." Kris commented to Taylor, who arched an eyebrow at Noah. Noah gave him a smirk and ate silently.

"I don't like putting all that sugar in my body." Taylor commented. "Eat up. I have to get you home before you turn into a pumpkin." he chuckled.

Kris grinned. "I like that. Call me pumpkin."

"I am not calling you anything Kris." Taylor rolled his eyes at Noah, then smiled a white toothed grin.

"After last night, you better call me... on the phone! Get a piece of paper and a pen. I'll give you my number." Kris reached over and rubbed Taylor's arm.

"I know where you and your parents live. If I want to get a hold of you, I can show up there." Taylor said, with no intention of seeking out the cute, 21 year old. He glanced at Kris and saw the desirous look in his blue eyes. "Jesus kid, get that look out of your eyes. I am not screwing you right now. I have to go to work."

Noah burst out laughing, hearing Taylor's statement.

Kris looked at Noah, smiled with embarrassment and said to Taylor, "I didn't say I wanted to screw."

"It's in the eyes. I can tell." Taylor said. "You can tell with Luke, right Noah?"

"Yup! It's definitely in the eyes. The windows to the soul. In fact," Noah said teasingly while chuckling, "I think I see love in Kris's eyes."

Kris opened his mouth and gasped. Could Noah really see the love he had for Taylor in his eyes?

"Noah!" Taylor exclaimed warningly, but with a friendly tone. He worried his forehead and said, "Dude!"

"Do you really see love in my eyes Noah?" Kris asked with a smile. His eyes met Noah's. "Look in them."

"I was kidding." Noah said with a short laugh. "Well sometimes you can see love, but with you I think it's lust."

Kris looked at his cereal and shrugged, "It could be love."

"Ok that's enough." Taylor said, cutting the air with his hands as he stood up, giving Noah a sharp look as well. He took his bowl to the kitchen and yelled to Kris, "Let's go! I don't want to be late for work."

"I'm not done." Kris muttered to no one and took a spoonful of Cheerios and ate it.

"You better get ready. I sense he's not in a good mood." Noah nodded toward the kitchen where Taylor was just coming out.

"I said lets go." Taylor barked loudly.

"I thought we were going to have a talk?" Kris said, standing up and pushing his chair in. His anxious eyes never left Taylor's face.

"Not now." Taylor replied gruffly. He looked away and waved to Noah. "Say hi to Luke if you see him before you go."

"He's going to be hungover. He was drinking last night and I doubt he'll be up when I leave. You'll see him after work before I will." Noah answered and waved. Teasingly he added, "Have fun dropping your kid off at home."

Taylor laughed and said, "You're nuts."

"You're nuts dating a guy barely out of diapers!" Noah chuckled.

"Guys? I'm right here." Kris said as he stared at Taylor. He really had hoped to talk to Taylor before he took him home.

Taylor wrapped his arm around Kris's shoulder and said in a joking manner, "So you are! How about that? Let's get you home alright?"

Kris grinned up at him and nodded. He felt so close to Taylor. He remembered the spicy male scent of him last night, the heat and sweat of his skin and how it felt when Taylor was inside his body. Now he felt the satisfying heaviness of Taylor's arm across his shoulders. Kris's heart raced as he snuggled into his warm body.

Luke groaned and woke up naked and alone. He ran his hand down his face, then ran to the bathroom, fell to his knees, and threw up so hard the room went dark for a moment. He wiped his mouth, then walked unsteadily as he made his way back to the bedroom to pull on a pair of boxer briefs. He saw that his computer was on and stumbled to the chair. He moved the mouse and instantly a document popped up. He read it- his face registering shock and embarrassment. He scrolled down, reading the awful note he left for Noah. Face flaming, he continued to scroll down until he saw Noah's message.

**Luke,  
That's quite a story you wrote. I laughed my ass off. I hope you meant it as a joke and you weren't really thinking I was out screwing around. My ex means nothing to me and I KNOW you know that because I've told you. As for your message at the end? I don't know what to make of that. I did sleep in our bedroom with you. Yes it's ****our**** bedroom now. You asked me to move up there with you, remember? So what's it going to be Luke? Still want me or would you rather be mad about nothing? We can talk tonight when I get home if you think we have something worth salvaging.  
XOXOXO,  
Noah**

Luke remembered writing parts of the story, but not the message to Noah. He had a hard time reading the whole thing. It was so full of the 'F' word which wasn't like him. _'I must have been really ticked off that Noah was working late with this his ex. I should call him- I feel like an idiot. No more drinking for me!'_

Luke picked up his cell off the desk and dialed Noah's cell phone number. He hoped he wasn't disturbing him in the middle of shooting one of 'those' shots.

Noah answered on the second ring. "Hi." he smiled into the phone.

"Hi yourself." Luke grinned. "Uhhh- about that message on my computer. I wrote that in anger and it wasn't meant for your eyes."

"Really now?" Noah teased. "I thought that story was one of your best. I mean you really had some intense emotions for my ex. Hate, repulsion and loathing."

"Yea, that was bad. Sorry. All that was just something I wrote and forgot to delete."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Why do you suppose the last thing you wrote was addressed to me if you didn't want me to read it?" he asked with a huge grin, knowing he caught Luke in a lie.

"What? That ending thing?" Luke asked, biting his fingernail.

"Yea." Noah said, seeing Luke squirm in his mind. "It was pretty graphic and specific."

"I, I...I...Uh-"

"There's the fabulous writer in you coming out." Noah laughed at Luke's stuttering. "Want me to leave you the fuck alone and fuck off or not?"

Luke gasped, his shock obvious, "I... no! I love you or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget, did you? Did you forget that I told you I'd be faithful to you?" Noah stated with his other hand on his hip. He nodded to the director and looked at the 'fluffer' who was waiting somewhat impatiently for Noah to finish his call. The guy couldn't keep the naked model hard without him cumming for much longer. Noah held up a finger indicating he would be just a minute.

"Luke, I have to go soon. What's it gonna be?" he smirked as he played with the blond's mind.

Luke shook his head helplessly. He finally got hold of himself and breathed out, "I want you and I believe you about your ex. I didn't mean to get jealous. Sorry."

"No harm done. You know," he whispered. "I **am** trying to get out of this business to work full-time at GQ. I already told you they hired me part-time. Look, I have to go. The director is trying to get me back to work. See you tonight?"

"Yes. Thanks for being so understanding. Love you." Luke smiled.

"Love you too. Bye." Noah said and hung up. He picked up his camera and trained it on the scene- a male whose legs were spread eagle on a bed almost ready to cum.

___________

Luke stayed in bed the rest of the day, dealing with nausea and a headache. Taylor came home first and went right to his bedroom. Luke noted the time and walked downstairs to greet Noah when he came home.

A knock on the door prompted Luke to go to the front door and peer in the peep hole. It was someone he didn't know. Taylor walked into the living room with his shirt undone and a pair of shorts on.

"I'm expecting him. Please let him in." Taylor stated.

"How did he get through the gate and guard?"

"I told Hank to let him through. The door... please?" Taylor asked again.

Luke turned the handle.

Taylor grinned and hugged the tall, medium built man who had to be in his 30's. "Luke, this is Stephan."

Luke held out a hesitant hand. "Hi."

"Hello Luke. How are you?" Stephan asked politely.

Luke nodded and said, "I could be better."

"He has a hangover." Taylor explained, "He doesn't drink much so 2 beers will make him pass out." Taylor snickered, nudging Stephan with his elbow.

"Four. I had four or was it six?" Luke tried to remember. "Anyway, are you two going out tonight?" Luke crossed his fingers. If Taylor and Stephan went out, he and Noah would have the place to themselves.

"We're going to hang out here." Taylor said. "Watch some tv and talk. Sound good?" he asked, looking at Stephan.

"Sounds great."

"In your bedroom?" Luke asked.

"No, out here-- why? Need some Noah time?" Taylor laughed.

Luke smiled and said, "No, just wondering. If you're staying for supper. Stephan, I can make a huge helping of spaghetti."

"Cool. I'll definitely stay. I hear your a pretty good cook among other things." Stephan smiled.

Luke looked confused. "What's that mean?"

Stephan replied, "Taylor told me you're a writer. Kyle Evans is my favorite author and he said you've met him. Could you get me an autograph sometime?"

Luke laughed out loud and locked eyes with Taylor who grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"You should ask Kyle over for supper tonight Luke!" Taylor laughed teasingly.

"You know him personally like 'THAT'?!" Stephan asked, impressed and awestruck.

"Um, he's busy tonight." Luke snickered.

Stephan asked eagerly, "Oh. Say, what does he look like? Is he hot?"

Taylor spoke before Luke could, "He's really hot. He's got blond hair. Sort of like Luke's here and really pretty brown eyes with a tinge of green in them. Hey Luke, you do too. How about that!" Taylor grinned toothily at his roommate and winked.

Luke turned away, but could still see Taylor out of the corner of his eyes.

"You could be twins!" Taylor slapped Luke on the back.

Stephan asked, "Do you know if he's dating anyone?"

"Yes! He's taken." Luke spoke up, a little forcefully.

Taylor giggled. "Luke, you are such a card. Stephan, lets go to the couch and catch up."

Luke watched the two friends sit down and laugh heartily. He was about to get a drink, but his cell rang. _'Please don't let it be Noah saying he has to work late! I can't take it! Him seeing hot guys, their naked bodies and hard cocks all day, is torture for me to think about.'_

Luke looked at the caller I.D. and answered with relief. "Hi Hank."

"Mr. Snyder, I have a kid in a taxi here wanting to see Taylor. I don't know if I should let him up. He doesn't even know Taylor's last name."

"What is his name?" Luke asked, already knowing the answer.

Hank said, "Kris with a 'K'."

Luke nodded and said, "Let Kris with a 'K' through. Thanks for calling me first."

"It's my job Mr. Snyder." Hank said kindly and hung up.

"Taylor," Luke called out ask he walked back into the living room. "Kris is on his way here. You may want to button up your shirt there." he said while pointing to his hairy chest and exposed torso.

"What?!" Taylor shook his head. "Screw my shirt. I'm comfortable in my own house." he said, then told Stephan about his stalker, Kris.

"You idiot!" Stephan said. "Why did you go and sleep with a virgin? Man you are screwed now."

"No kidding. He's been coming here every night. You have to pretend to be my date!" Taylor said frantically. "Please!"

"Fine." Stephan said against his better judgment.

"No!" Luke said with his arms crossed. "That is just plain mean!"

Taylor nodded. "You're right, but if Kris assumes he's my date, I'm not correcting him."

There was a knock on the door. Luke answered it as he glared at Taylor. What he was doing to Kris was cruel.

"Hi Luke!" Kris said, then stepped inside and asked, "Is.... oh..." His eyes met Taylor's and the other guy's face. "I see he's busy." _'Why is his shirt unbuttoned? Am I interrupting them? Oh God he's seeing someone else!'_

Luke nodded. "Why don't you stay anyway?"

"I don't know...." Kris hung his head. "I wanted to talk to Taylor, but he's with someone. Who is it?" he asked, lifting his head.

"Some friend named Stephan." Luke said and looked over at the couch. Taylor was being incredibly rude by not acknowledging Kris. "Come help me with supper and ignore him. It will drive him crazy. Trust me." he said in a low voice and pulled Kris through the living room to the kitchen.

"What do you want me to do?" Kris asked looking around.

"Set the table for 5. You can stay and eat with us. That guy out there," Luke pointed, although he couldn't see the living room from the kitchen, "is JUST his friend. You can still get Taylor if you play your cards right."

"How? I don't know how to do that." Kris said helplessly.

"Make him want you. You should go out there and flirt with that friend of his and see what Taylor does. If he gets mad, that means he cares and is jealous. If he does nothing...."

"Then he doesn't care and I should quit pursuing him." Kris sighed. "In a way I don't want to know." He put his hands in his pockets out of nervous habit.

Luke leaned on the counter and said, "You do want to know. Trust me. You don't want to waste your time if he's really not interested."

Kris studied Luke's face and said, "But flirt with his friend?"

Luke nodded and laughed. "You do know how to flirt right?"

"Yea, how do you think I got Taylor?" Kris perked up and grinned. "I guess I'll go and give it a try. What do I do if this Stephan wants to date me?!"

"Play it cool and don't worry about that right now. Just flirt with him. Oh, and don't make eye contact with Taylor. Ignore him."

Kris took a breath and started to let it out as he nodded, "Yea... YEA! I can do this! Um, come with me?"

Luke laughed. "You go ahead. I'm going to set the table. I'll be in there in a bit."

Kris walked confidently into the living room and sat on the armrest right next to Stephan. He held out his hand as he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Kris."

Stephan turned and looked at Kris and smiled. "Stephan." and shook Kris's hand. "You're young aren't you?"

Kris gave Stephan a sexy smile, while trying hard not to look at Taylor, and answered, "Young and virile."

"Oh yea?" Stephan grinned. "Hear that Taylor?" I'll bet he can go a few rounds. "

"Yea, virile. I heard." Taylor frowned and said to Kris, coldly, "We were having a private conversation kiddo."

"So Stephan," Kris said seductively, ignoring Taylor, "What do you like to do for fun?"

Stephan raised his brows and glanced at Taylor, who shook his head in disbelief. He looked back at Kris and answered, "Just about anything. You?"

"Mmm..... I like-" Kris bent down and whispered in Stephan's ear while Taylor watched, his eyes fiery with anger.

Stephan chuckled as he listened to Kris.

Taylor noticed his friend grinning with amusement. _'What the hell is Kris doing! This has to stop! He comes here uninvited and unannounced and hits on my friend!'_

Taylor stood up and said, "Kris."

Kris rested his elbow on Stephan's shoulder and giggled. "You're really handsome Stephan. Did anyone ever tell you that you look like-"

"KRIS! !"

Luke walked in, hearing Taylor yell and smiled inside. It seemed that his roommate had a thing for Kris after all.

"What?" Kris answered, finally looking at Taylor innocently. _'He definitely looks mad! That's good right? Luke said that it meant that he cares.'_

"My bedroom. N O W !" Taylor growled at Kris and said to Stephan disappointedly. "I can't believe you fell for that." Stephan smiled at him and watched them both leave. Luke sat next to Stephan and said, "What was that about?"

"Oh I played a little trick on Taylor. Kris whispered in my ear what happened between him and Taylor and how he wants to date him. I played along and Taylor thinks he was flirting with me. My friend, your roommate, needs a boyfriend. He's happiest when he's tied down."

"You did that for Kris?! You are great!! Just for that," Luke stood up. "Meet Kyle Evans." Luke put his hand out and smiled.

Stephan stood up and stared at Luke. "You.... you're him? He's you?" His excitement grew. "Really? No fooling?"

Noah walked in the door with a grin. "Hello." he said to Luke and the man that looked ready to faint or bow to Luke.

"Hi babe." Luke said and watched Noah kick off his shoes. "This is Stephan, Taylor's friend. Taylor and Kris are talking in the bedroom. Anyway, I just introduced Kyle Evans to him. He's a big fan."

"You did? Kyle's here? Where?" Noah jokingly looked around. "I want to meet him too! He's my favorite author. Did you know he wrote me a smut story? My very own!"

Stephan said to Luke, "Aw man! You had me going there- especially with Taylor's description of Kyle being so close to yours!" He sighed, then sat on the couch.

"He IS Kyle." Noah laughed. He laughed harder when Stephan stood up and grabbed Luke and hugged him tightly.

"I want you autograph! Hell I want your shirt! Or your junk mail! Anything!"

"I have a book I'll autograph for you upstairs. Noah would you get 'Sinful Awakening'? I have three on the shelf." Luke said in a strained voice before Stephan finally let him out of his tight embrace.

Taylor closed his bedroom door and faced it as he tried to calm his rage. It didn't work so he turned around and stared Kris, who stared back until he felt intimidated and looked away.

"What was that out there?" Taylor asked. His face was red and he looked irritated.

_'He doesn't look _**too**_ angry.'_ Kris thought to himself.

Kris smiled shyly and raised his brows. He spoke softly at first, then with more feeling, "Taylor, I came to talk to you. I really like you and I feel like we have this.... thing. I don't know what it is. Um, like.... like what you describe Luke and Noah as having. That's how I feel about you." He stared into Taylor's eyes from a distance of five feet. Kris watched him to gauge his reaction.

Taylor continued to stare at Kris's face. He could tell he was sincere and his psyche seemed so delicate with that confession. Taylor glanced away and blew out a frustrated breath. _'Kris acted like a slut with Stephan, but in here, he's acting like he's innocent. GOD what did I get myself into with this kid?! He won't leave me alone! _

"Please talk to me?" Kris said pleadingly and took a hesitant step closer as he stared at the dark hair on Taylor's chest. He remembered kissing and touching his chest the first time they made love, when Taylor took his virginity.

Taylor felt outraged. It seemed that his anger wouldn't be tempered just yet. He felt like a fool. He couldn't believe Kris was actually flirting, albeit not seriously with Stephan, but Stephan fell for it! He wanted to go off on them both, but the kid would have to do since he started it by showing up at his home.

Kris tried to explain, "I only came by to see you. You promised we would have a talk, but you were busy with your friend so I talked to Luke in the kitchen. After that, I decided to introduce myself to Stephan. He's very nice. I can see why you two are great friends."

"No, no....!" Taylor's voice rose. He pointed a finger at Kris and yelled, "You don't just come to MY house and bust in on MY conversation with MY friend and start flirting with him. It's so blatant that you were trying to get my attention Kris, and you came off looking and sounding completely desperate. I can see right through you. You used my friend to get to me and it didn't work! All you succeeded in doing was infuriating me!"

Kris blinked hard. His lip quivered as he crossed his arms around his chest, hugging himself. He looked at the floor and muttered, "Maybe I **am** desperate Taylor."

"I think.... no, I **know** that you shouldn't come here anymore. I like you, but I don't want to get attached and I certainly don't want to encourage you and let you think we have something. What we had was a few good times and-- what are you do--"_doing?_

Kris looked up with mournful eyes, pushed past Taylor, and opened the door sobbing. Stephan stood up with concern when he heard Kris crying loudly. He saw him run blindly with his forearm across his eyes into the living room.

Luke heard the commotion too and followed Kris to the front door. Kris ran outside and looked around. In his rush to see Taylor, he hadn't thought his visit through, and now he was stranded without a ride. Luckily Luke came outside and found him. He called a cab for Kris and waited with him.

"He... doesn't want me to come here anymore. He doesn't want to see me. I messed up. I really messed up with Taylor." Kris sobbed on Luke's shoulder. "Why didn't I wait until I fell in love with someone instead of giving myself to the first hot guy I met?"

"Shhhh it's going to be ok. You'll find someone someday." Luke assured Kris. "Someone that will knock your socks off."

"No I won't! I really like Taylor. Luke, I think I love him." Kris sobbed harder.

"You can't possibly know.... never mind. You know what's in your heart." _'Like I knew with Noah.'_ Luke held Kris and rubbed his back. _He really does love Taylor. Poor guy. Taylor's a jerk for treating him like this. He didn't even care enough about Kris to follow him out here to see if he's ok._

"Luke, what do I do now? Your advice didn't work." Kris cried and squeezed Luke.

"I don't know. I just write about love and sex. I don't study the art of seduction." _'Hey! That's a good name for a book. 'The Art of Seduction'._

Luke stopped his thoughts when Kris backed away and looked at his face. "I want to go back inside and apologize. I shouldn't have come here and I want him to know that when he wants to talk to me I'll listen." Kris took a step towards the door, but Luke held him back.

"No. Leave him alone. He's mad enough as it is. Don't make it worse."

"Alright." Kris bit his lip repeatedly and sniffled loudly.

"There's your cab." Luke nodded to the headlights coming up the drive. "Take care of yourself Kris."

Kris nodded with his head down and got in the cab. He looked out the window at Luke, then he made a pained face and began to cry again as the cab drove away.

Luke watched the taillights disappear, then he heard Taylor yell, "Luke!"

Luke turned and glared at Taylor. He began walking past him to go inside when Taylor's arm shot out and grabbed Luke's hand, turning him around. "Where's Kris?" he asked worriedly.

"Gone!" Luke spat and wrenched his hand away from his roommate's grasp.

"I came to see if he's alright." Taylor looked around as if Kris was hiding in the bushes or behind a palm tree.

Luke grimaced angrily before yelling, "He's devastated you jerk!"

"Ok, lets go in before you cause a scene out here." Taylor muttered.

"Luke?" Noah came outside and saw Taylor and Luke standing face to face defensively. "Hey babe, lets go inside and eat." he said with a smile for Luke and took his hand before turning towards Taylor. "Stephan wants to talk to you as well."

Taylor sighed loudly. "About what?" he asked with annoyance.

"He wants to know if you got to Kris in time and if you apologized." Noah answered. He looked at Luke and said, "It was Stephan's idea for Taylor to get his butt out here. He was too late, wasn't he?"

Luke nodded. "Kris was really heartbroken and-"

"OHHH!!" Taylor groaned loudly, hearing Luke repeat how Kris felt and put his hands on his head, ready to tear his hair out. "I'm going in!"

Luke looked at Noah and shrugged. "Guilty conscious."

Noah watched Taylor walk away and enter their townhouse. "Seems that way."

"Good! I hope he has nightmares." Luke glared at Taylor's back.

"You're a vindictive blond aren't you?" Noah chuckled. "Let's stay out of it. Maybe Taylor will call Kris and talk to him tomorrow when he's cooled off a bit."

"Anything you say, gorgeous." Luke smiled and pecked Noah on the lips.


	10. Chapter 10

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 10

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge **THANK YOU** For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

_______________________________________

Taylor came home from work late on Friday night and went to the bathroom to shower. He'd been getting the cold shoulder all week from Noah and Luke after the incident with Kris. He decided he needed to get out of the house and have some fun.

As he dressed in his room, he thought back. _'Stephan really laid into me. He doesn't think I'm mature enough to handle a 'real' relationship. I've had boyfriends before, but all of them had faults I couldn't look past. Stephan thinks I'm too picky, but I disagree. I can't believe he offered to set me up with someone after I told him that most of the men out there are fake. I can get laid anytime I want- IF I want. I don't need help in that area._

Taylor buttoned his short sleeved, blue shirt and tucked it into his jeans. He walked back to the bathroom to finish his hair. He stared at his reflection and saw a lonely person looking back at him.

_'I am not lonely, nor am I a heartless jerk like Luke said. What does he know? Of course Noah is going to agree with him. They're like peas in a pod. If I didn't know better, I'd say __they cornered me last night to give me that talk about relationships and feelings. I have feelings for Kris, but I don't want him to think we're boyfriends. I don't need some clingy kid to babysit.... (sigh).... he is great though. No, I can't get involved. He's too...... God he's hot. No, stop thinking about him like 'that'! He's too needy, too young, too emotional! The way he ran away crying was so childish. Damn he's sensitive. Shit! Now I'm feeling bad for him again. The look of rejection on his face- ugh ! ! As harsh as I was, it HAD to be done. Had to-- and it worked. I haven't seen or heard from him in days. I hope he moved on.'_

Luke had just finished getting dressed when Noah came out of the shower- wet, naked and all muscles. Luke stared, not believing his luck that this man wanted him. That this very man was in his life. Not one of his past boyfriends looked anywhere near as good as Noah did. Not even close. Luke licked his lips and gazed into Noah's smiling face.

Noah's eyes twinkled as he ran the towel up and down his torso, drying off with each pass. "Would you rather stay in and stare at my naked body all night?" he teased.

"Funny Noah." Luke laughed and turned away, wishing he could do just that.

"This will be fun Luke." Noah said, getting dressed. "I love dancing. The last time we went to the club I taught you how to dance... well, sort of."

"I thought I did fine." Luke laughed. "I was getting my groove out."

"On."

"Huh?" Luke asked.

"It's 'get your groove on', not out." Noah snickered. "Anyway Luke, I don't want to see you doing the 'Train' dance tonight, got it?" Noah said teasingly as he fixed Luke's collar. "You will NOT raise your hand to pull an imaginary cord and shout 'Whoo Whoo'."

Luke laughed and asked, "Can I do it if I say 'Choo Choo?'"

Noah shook his head as he laughed. "God I love you!" he said loudly.

"What is the Train dance anyway?"

"I love you even more because you don't know!" Noah laughed and kissed Luke. "I was craving your lips all day. They're so plump and soft. You're a great kisser."

"Mmm..." Luke moaned on Noah's lips. "You too." They both heard a "Bye guys." from Taylor. They returned the farewell and turned back to each other and finished their kiss.

* * *

Luke and Noah walked into the club hand in hand. Red and orange lights lit up the dance floor while music pumped out of tall speakers near the DJ. They took a table away from the action and ordered drinks- Luke a coke and Noah a beer.

Luke leaned forward and said, "There's Taylor on the dance floor."

Noah turned in his seat and squinted into the crowd without seeing their tall, dark and handsome roommate. "Where?"

Luke pointed, "He's dancing with a guy. See him?"

Noah sat back and faced Luke with a smile. "Luke. It's a gay bar slash club. They're ALL dancing with guys."

Luke reddened and grinned, "Oh yea. The guy has on a tight black muscle shirt, cargo pants and he's really, really good looking. Black hair and really tan."

Noah finally saw Taylor and who he was dancing with. His face paled and he couldn't breathe.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked, placing his hand on Noah's and rubbing it soothingly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Noah recovered and inhaled slowly. Color flooded back to his face and he faked a smile before he turned to face Luke. "Yes, I'm fine."

Luke stood up and held out his hand. "Teach me another dance bub." his smile reflected his love for Noah.

Noah took Luke's hand and they went out onto the dance floor.

"Put your hands... yup, on my shoulders. Good." Noah said, looking at Luke's face. "Now come closer to me."

Luke just moved his head forward. He whispered into Noah's ear. "I can't. I'm afraid of getting a boner."

Noah bit his lip to hide his smile. "I guess we should have made love before we came so you wouldn't be horny. Strike that, you're always horny."

Luke slapped Noah's chest and laughed, "Noah!"

"It's true." Noah said, wrapping an arm around Luke's waist and pulling his body close. Chest to chest and hip to hip. Luke laid his head on Noah's shoulder as they slow danced to the mid tempo music.

Luke grinned, seeing their roomie approaching. "Hi Taylor!" he said after raising his head.

Noah let Luke go and turned to Taylor. "Hi... Taylor." he said as he watched his roommate and the guy he had been dancing with smiling at them.

"Luke and Noah, this is Zachary." Taylor smiled.

Luke stared at Zachary. He was even more gorgeous up close. "Hiiiii....."

Noah rolled his eyes and said, "Luke, lets dance."

Zachary smiled at Noah, then at Luke. He said to Noah, "I'll dance with Luke, you dance with Taylor." then he grabbed Luke by the hand and led him away.

Taylor and Noah watched them leave. "It's me and you." Taylor grinned and took Noah's hand and found an open spot on the floor near Zachary and Luke.

Noah kept his eyes on Luke and Zachary. So far they were dancing near each other without physical contact, which couldn't be said for him and Taylor. His roommate liked to dance close and grind without it being too sexual. Eventually Noah stopped watching Luke, knowing that Luke could handle himself with Zachary.

_'I shouldn't be jealous.'_ he told himself. _'Luke isn't like my ex. He loves me.'_

Noah casually glanced over at Luke and Zachary and saw that their bodies were now touching and Zachary was talking in Luke's ear. He could see Luke laughing and Zachary's hands wandering and roaming all over Luke's chest and back.

_'Why doesn't Luke say anything?! Why is he letting Zachary touch him like that?! I guess Taylor is doing the same thing to me and I'm not feeling anything sensual. It's just dancing. Ok, but if those effin' hands of Zachary's roam below the belt, they're going get broken.'_

"Are you ok?" Taylor asked and looked where Noah's eyes were focused. "You're not too jealous are you? I can go dance with Zachary."

"I'm fine Taylor, thanks. I trust Luke."

Taylor agreed. "He is one of a kind. You guys are so hot together." he said running his hands up and down Noah's shirt. "Isn't Zachary beautiful?"

Noah shrugged and said disinterestedly, "He's alright."

Taylor's mouth dropped open. "He's gorgeous! You're telling me you don't see that?"

Noah ceded, "Ok yes. He's very attractive, but guys that good looking are very conceited and," Noah held up his pinky finger and wiggled it. "tiny." he laughed.

Taylor laughed and said, "That would be a shame. Unless he's a bottom, then who cares!"

"Eh, guys that have huge egos are tops, usually."

Taylor stared at Noah, puzzled. "Are you saying I have a huge ego because I'm a top?"

"No, I meant in my business. Models. Gay ones. They think they're the shit and boss people around because they think they're important. Not you." Noah reddened and looked away.

"So you're saying Luke has a big ego because he's the-"

"No. We take turns. We both prefer bottom."

Taylor laughed, "How's that working for you? I could help you out in the top department!" he teased, then became serious. "You know, you two are adorable and you'd do anything for each other. I don't think I could do bottom again. My first time was the only time and since then... no way."

"Good Luck with Zachary then." Noah grinned at Taylor before glancing at Luke. The song ended and he and Zachary were walking towards them. Luke was glowing with a light layer of perspiration on his face. He looked radiant.

Noah smiled at him and was about to take his hand when Zachary spoke up, "That was a great dance Luke, thanks. You have quite the body."

Luke blushed and thanked him.

Zachary looked at Taylor and said, "Why don't you dance with him and I'll take Noah this time?" Without waiting for an answer, he immediately grabbed Noah and dragged him away.

"Zachary, I don't think...." Noah said, looking back at Luke. He was already dancing close to Taylor.

"So that's your boyfriend huh?" Zachary asked. "I told him he's pretty hot."

"I heard and yes, he is." Noah answered while making sure Zachary kept his distance. "What were you saying in his ear?"

Zachary grinned and said, "Oh you saw that did you?" He knew Noah did, but he liked messing with his ex.

"Yes."

"I asked him about you. He told me everything." Zachary moved his hips closer to Noah's.

Noah shook his head and said, "No, he wouldn't do that."

Zachary leaned into Noah and said, "He told me that you're a photographer and you photographed him in some compromising positions, and you like Italian food."

Noah glared towards Luke's direction, but the stare was lost on the blond. He was too busy dancing and talking to Taylor. He turned back to Zachary and said, "What else?"

Zachary grinned coyly and said, "Well, you bottom and you're extremely loud in bed!" he laughed again.

Noah shook his head, "But you already know all that. What did he tell you that you didn't know?! Did you tell him you're my ex?"

"No, I thought you should." Zachary smiled mischievously.

"Thanks for that." Noah sighed in relief.

"If I were you, I would have said something right away though. He's going to think you were hiding the fact that we know each other. Now you're here, dancing with me and grinding against my body."

Noah gave Zachary a look as if he were crazy and said, "I'm not grinding against you."

At that moment, Zachary grabbed Noah's ass, pulled him in and ground his crotch against Noah's crotch before calling out, "OOOH YEAH BABY!!!" Getting the attention of the men around them, including Luke and Taylor.

Luke frowned and wanted to break Noah and Zachary apart, but he saw Noah push Zachary off, then walk away. He headed toward Luke as Taylor excused himself to dance with Zachary.

"Luke, we have to talk." Noah said as they walked to their table. They sat down and faced each other.

Luke looked scared, "You want to date others, right? You find Zachary attractive and you want-"

"Shhh! No, yes. I mean...."

Luke swallowed and laced his fingers together under the table. He felt exposed, vulnerable. "You do or don't? I can understand if you do. He's really beautiful." Luke's voice shook with insecurity.

"Luke, I...." Noah sighed and looked down at the table. He gazed back up and said, "I know him. He's my ex."

Luke's mouth dropped open. He looked at Zachary and Taylor, then back at Noah. He was speechless.

"When we were dancing together, he told me you confided some things to him about our relationship."

Luke shook his head. "No, I wouldn't. What we have is ours. I don't share what we do. He's guessing Noah."

"You're right. He played me and I got mad at you for a minute or two." Noah said. _'When Zachary and I were dating I took pictures of him naked too. He was just trying to rile me up.'_

"Really? You think I would do that?" Luke looked hurt and saddened at the thought that Noah would believe he'd tell someone about their sex life or their personal life.

"No. I don't know. We're still getting to know each other right? It's going to take time. Then watch out. I'll be able to read your mind and finish your sentences for you." Noah chuckled, his eyes sparkling.

Luke smiled and looked past Noah. "UH OH!"

Noah frowned and asked, "Wha-" as he turned around. "Oh crap." he whispered to himself. Coming toward them was Kris, dressed in a sheer maroon shirt and tight, black leather pants with black boots. His blond hair looked professionally styled. Neither Luke or Noah wanted Kris to see Taylor with another man, especially the model named Zachary.

Luke whispered across the table, "Why didn't he tell us he was coming here?"

Noah shrugged just as Kris stopped at their table and said, "Hi Noah and Luke."

Luke and Noah gaped at Kris. He looked so different, in a good way.

"Well?" Kris said with a smile. "What do you think?" he looked down at his outfit and back to wide blue and brown eyes.

"You look hot!" Luke said. Noah agreed by nodding.

"Thanks." Kris grinned. "I'm moving on. A guy is buying me... oh, there he is." Kris said nodding to the man walking towards them. The guy handed Kris a beer and wrapped his arm around the blond's shoulder.

Kris licked his lips and took a drink from the bottle. "Thanks."

Luke and Noah stared at the man Kris was with. His head was shaved bald and he had several earrings in both ears. He was bulky with muscle and had a tough look to him.

"This is Del." Kris said and watched Luke and Noah exchange a look between themselves.

"Let's get outta here. I'm done with this joint." Del muttered.

"Can I to talk to my friends for a minute, Please?" Kris asked for permission.

"Hurry it up. I wanna split." Del said with a scowl, keeping his arm possessively around Kris.

"Um..." Kris said nervously. He set his beer on the table and addressed Luke and Noah, "how is the other roommate?"

Luke stared at Del with intense dislike. He was very bossy and seemed to want to control Kris. Noah answered, "Taylor is.... ooh, coming over here." he pointed.

Everyone laid eyes on Taylor and Zachary. They seemed cozy with their arms around each other.

"Who is that?" Del asked no one in particular.

Kris replied, "Luke and Noah's roommate is on the left. I don't know the other guy." His face showed how disheartened he was with seeing Taylor with another man. He stared at Taylor, who was nearing the table, and remembered the times they made love.

"His name is Zachary." Luke spat out the name. "Noah's ex." He stared at Zachary, who was now staring at Noah. Luke quickly grabbed Noah's hand for comfort. Noah entwined their fingers, reassuring Luke that he was the only one for him.

Del glanced at Kris, seeing that his 'date' was practically eye fucking Taylor. He tightened his grip to the point that Kris cringed with pain and looked at Del.

Del narrowed his eyes and asked Kris in a crudely, "What are you staring at? I thought we were going to go back to my place. Instead you're staring at him!" Del pointed to Taylor.

Taylor heard the tail end of Del's accusation. He didn't want to cause trouble so he smiled at Luke and Noah without acknowledging Kris and said, "Zachary and I were thinking about heading back to the townhouse to be alone. Are you both staying here for a while?"

Luke's heart sunk as did Kris's. They both thought Taylor would see how much Kris wanted him in his eyes. Noah nodded, too shook up to speak, seeing Taylor with his ex.

"Come on." Del said to Kris and tried to pull him away.

"Let me finish my beer first ok?" he said and reached for it. He really didn't want to leave with Del.

"I got beer at my place. You can have all you want." Del unwrapped his arm from around Kris's shoulders and grabbed his hand.

Kris looked at Luke and Noah with a look of helplessness on his face, then suddenly he was jerked away.

Taylor frowned, watching Del dragging Kris off. The only thing missing was the kicking and screaming. _'What is the kid doing with a roughneck like that? Why is he dressed like THAT? So slutty. I better do something. He's in way over his head.'_

"Wait here Zachary. I'll be right back." Taylor said and jogged towards the exit.

Noah looked at Zachary and asked, "You and Taylor huh?"

Zachary turned to Noah and grinned, "Yes. He's very attractive. Like Luke here." Casually, Zachary reached over and touched Luke's cheek.

Luke ducked away and winced.

"Leave him alone Zack. Go away." Noah complained, but Zachary sat next to him and grinned at Luke.

"So Luke, you can't have known Noah very long. How did you two meet? Did you pose in 'Hot Men'?" he laughed.

"No! We met when I put out an ad for a roommate." Luke smiled at Noah. "He answered the ad and it was love at first sight. For me anyway."

"Uh huh, how about you Noah?" Zachary asked as he rested his elbows on the table and stared at Noah's face.

"Me too. We are in love." Noah gazed into Luke's hazel eyes and smiled.

"Did Noah tell you what we did the other night?" Zachary asked Luke with obvious malicious intent. "He got me in my underwear." he gloated.

"He IS a photographer; he was hired to do a job." Luke said snobbishly.

Zachary saw both men were glaring at him. He laughed and said, "But did he tell you he watched me undress? He told me where to put my legs and arms. He even said I had to move my dick to the left. He must have been looking right there, don't ya think Luke?"

"That's enough!" Noah yelled. "Luke, lets go. The atmosphere in here sucks."

Luke rose out of his seat and stared angrily at Zachary. He snapped, spitting as he yelled at the smug looking model, "He may photograph you, but he comes home to ME! He makes love to ME, not you! You fucking three-inch, limp dick, sleazy ass model!" Luke saw the surprised expression on Zachary's face and walked away, hearing Noah laughing behind him.

Noah caught up to Luke, took his hand, and held it as he chuckled. "You told him off! I'm so proud of you! He was speechless." Noah said and kissed Luke's cheek as they went outside to the parking lot.

"Yea, well he made me mad by trying to get me mad at you." Luke smiled with the corner of his mouth, then gasped. He ran to Taylor who was sitting on the ground next to a car with Kris crouched in front of him.

"What happened?" Luke knelt next to Kris. Noah stopped and stood behind both of them.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Noah asked, seeing blood on Taylor's shirt and mouth.

Kris looked at Noah worriedly. "Del punched him in the mouth."

"Why?" Luke asked and moved Taylor's hand from his mouth. He looked at his split lip and asked Noah to get a napkin from inside the club. Noah left promptly.

Taylor stared at Kris, and said to Luke. "The guy was forcing Kris into his truck and Kris was fighting him, trying to get away. I confronted Del and told him to let Kris go and he punched me, then he left."

Luke shook his head. Noah came back and handed the napkins to Taylor. "Are you ok?"

Taylor nodded and dabbed his lip. "It's stopped bleeding. I'm sure it's not bad, but it's really swollen."

"It IS really swollen." Kris said. "It kinda looks sexy." he smiled.

Taylor let out one short laugh and looked at Luke. "Tell Zachary tonight's off."

"I think he knows that." Noah smiled.

"How?" Taylor asked, his lip throbbing.

"He's my ex and he was hitting on Luke, in addition, he was trying to make him jealous." Noah gazed down at Luke.

Luke stood up and hugged Noah. He looked at Taylor and said, "I told him off."

"Your ex! Oh boy! Sorry Noah, I had no idea. I don't date friend's ex's."

Noah waved him off. "You didn't know."

"Glad you told me right away." Taylor said sarcastically. "Next time let me know straight up."

Kris stood up and lent Taylor a hand. Taylor graciously took it and let Kris pull him up. "Thanks." He stood on legs that felt like jello.

"Thank you for rescuing me." Kris said gratefully, staring into Taylor's blue eyes, the prettiest ones he'd ever seen before. Taylor was not only his one true love, but his hero now as well.

"We're going to leave." Noah said, "See you at the house."

"Bye." Taylor replied, then eyed Kris's clothes and shook his head. "What are you wearing? You know what that says? It says 'I want to get fucked'."

Kris looked down at his shirt and pants, then back up at Taylor. "No it doesn't."

Taylor nodded, "Yes it does. Those leather pants.... _Jesus! So tight and hot looking. Great ass and such a perfect package tucked in there.'_ they're so..."

"What?" Kris asked self consciously.

_'He doesn't know what those pants do to any guy who sees him in them. He had to have noticed the looks.... and that see-through shirt showing off his chest and stomach.... that light colored treasure trail diving into those pants.... I have to stop. He's making me so horny!'_

"They're so tight." Taylor finally answered. "You can see everything. The outline of your dick, your tight ass, your hips, just looking at you gives guys the idea that you're showing your body, advertising it." He took another look at Kris's body. His eyes checked him up slowly, then down slowly and back up to Kris's face. "Were you?" he asked, somewhat jealously.

Kris's head jerked back. "Me? Advertising my body? No! I bought these clothes because I like them."

"Well it makes guys hot and bothered. You probably shouldn't dress like that or you'll meet more assholes like Del." Taylor warned.

"Do I make you?" Kris asked shyly, staring at Taylor's lips because he couldn't meet his eyes.

"Make me what?" Taylor asked, placing one hand on the car to lean on it, while the other hand slid into his back pocket.

Kris whispered, "Make you hot and bothered?"

Taylor looked away and bit the inside of his cheek. _'How do I answer this without leading him on? Lie? No, that would hurt his feelings. Tell the truth? No, he'd think I want him. Arrhh!'_

Taylor was taking so long to answer that Kris thought he wasn't going to answer, or that he was thinking of a way to let him down easy. He walked away with his head hung and his posture slumped.

"Yes!" Taylor called out and saw Kris halt and turn around with the biggest grin on his face.

_'What did I do?'_ Taylor thought, seeing Kris run back to him and hug him around the neck.

Taylor wiggled out of the embrace and said, "I only meant that you make me horny. I mean that outfit is so sexy." He stared at the ensemble. "I like the lay me down and fuck me boots too."

Kris looked down and kicked out his leg and turned his foot, showing his boot to Taylor. "I like them too. They were on sale."

"On sale." Taylor laughed at the kid's goofy, innocent statement. He looked around and back to Kris. He knew that Kris didn't have a car, unless he borrowed his parent's station wagon, but he doubted it. He wasn't sure if he should offer to give him a ride or not. He didn't want to be tempted to fall into bed with Kris more than already was at the moment. Taylor decided that it didn't matter what Kris was wearing. He was attracted to him, and would be even if he was dressed in shorts and an old tee shirt.

Taylor shut his eyes. He felt the tightness of the muscles in his neck and tried to relax, hoping Kris would say no to his question. "Need a ride home or is Del coming back?" he chuckled, trying to make light of his situation.

Kris grinned, feeling sheer happiness. "Yea! If you don't mind?" He had a big surprise for Taylor, and he hoped he would like it.

"Lets go then." Taylor motioned with his head to where he'd parked his car.


	11. Chapter 11

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 11

RATED: R- MALE/MALE PAIRING

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

Taylor drove in the direction that Kris lived, but he was stopped when Kris turned in his seat and said, "No, we're going to the townhouse." He smiled innocently when Taylor glanced at him suspiciously.

"No, I have to take you home." Taylor said decisively. "I can't be with you Kris. I just can't fall into the trap of bedding you and having you think it's love or whatever. I don't want a boyfriend."

He was received with a doubtful glance from the kid.

"Really Kris. I do like you, but it won't work. We're too different. There's the age difference, the.... the... um-"

Kris snickered. "Is that all? The age? We aren't that far apart in age."

"Almost 6 years kiddo." Taylor said, and breathed deeply, smelling Kris's unique scent and the faint aroma of musky cologne. At any rate, he smelled intoxicating. Taylor groaned low in his throat at how Kris made his cock react, and he unknowingly shifted in his seat.

"I don't care." Kris stated. "I like you too and who said anything about being boyfriends? I didn't. We can just hang out and hook up whenever." he reached over and rubbed Taylor's thigh.

"No. I can't hook up with you anymore." Taylor said, getting a headache above AND below the belt. He drove with a destination in mind. Kris's house.

"I am not going to my parents house!" Kris stated adamantly.

Taylor's headache blossomed. He didn't want to argue. "I'm not sleeping with you." he said. "I'll take you to the townhouse, but that's it. Sleep on the couch or Noah's old bedroom."

Kris smiled and stared at Taylor's profile. He watched him the whole way to the townhouse.

Taylor felt Kris's blue eyes on him and avoided looking at him. He knew the kid had it bad and that bringing him to his home was a bad idea. He could see himself wanting Kris in his bed tonight. He sighed with regret for offering Kris a ride. _'I should have called him a cab!'_

When Taylor opened the front door, they were met with moans and grunts coming from the loft. He winced at his bad timing and quickly ushered Kris in, then closed and locked the front door.

Kris rushed down the hall, his hand covering his mouth as he giggled. Taylor walked calmly behind him ignoring the noises Luke and Noah were making. He saw Kris abruptly stop at the bathroom and go inside. Taylor hurried ahead and held the door open before Kris could shut it. "We should talk when you're done."

"I'm really tired." Kris stated and yawned for effect. "I want to go to bed. We can talk tomorrow morning."

"Ok." Taylor said, smiling at his tired... _'MY tired?! He's not MY anything! What am I thinking?!'_ He shook his head to rid the thoughts in his mind and walked to his bedroom. He undressed and left his clothes on a chair in the corner of the room, then sat up in bed. He turned on the tv with the remote and flipped channels. He heard the bathroom door open, then glimpsed Kris as he was humming and walking to the blue bedroom across the hall from his. Taylor leaned forward and strained to see Kris undress, but he couldn't see anything. He pouted and sat back against the headboard.

"Hey Kris." he called out loud enough for the blond to hear. "Come here for a second." His erection was growing with the memory of Kris in his tight pants and sheer shirt. That combined with the thought of Kris getting undressed in Noah's old bedroom made Taylor hornier and harder.

"Just wait." Kris answered, getting his bed prepared to sleep in. "Be right there." he padded across the hall and walked into Taylor's room with a smile.

Taylor's smile faded when he saw Kris. "What's going on?"

Kris's heart sped up. He looked down at his lounge shorts and asked, "What?"

"Where did you get those pj's? Noah cleaned out his room." he answered, eying Kris's chest and legs.

"These?" Kris asked pointing to his pj's. "They're mine." he said, moving toward the bed.

Taylor looked up at Kris's face and asked, "Where did you get them?"

"Um... Target I think? No, mom gave them to me for Christmas last year."

Taylor responded with an exasperated look on his face. "Come on Kris."

Kris grinned. "Ok, I took them out of my drawer. In my bedroom. Across the hall from you." he laughed and plopped on the bed happily.

"No, you didn't! You couldn't have." Taylor shook his head as if that would make it untrue. Now his head really pounded.

"Yes. It's my room now. That's why I wanted you to bring me here." Kris took Taylor's hand and caressed it.

"Luke wouldn't do that to me." he stared at Kris with a determined look and said, "No way. No effin' way!"

Kris lifted Taylor's hand and kissed it. He let his lips linger and kissed it again. He raised his head and said softly, "I asked him if I could rent it for a month. That's all. Just a month. I'm tired of being told what to do at home."

Taylor didn't hear Kris. He was still reeling with shock. "Luke didn't say a word-- the bastard! I want to have a few words with him!" Taylor mumbled to himself and crossed his arms. "What kind of roommate does that?"

"I think it was sweet of Luke to let me move in."

Taylor was brought back to the present. He looked at Kris and asked, "Sweet? Sweet? No he's a meddling, mischievous male!" he smirked suddenly as a thought crossed his mind. _'Luke is messing with me just like I messed with him and Noah. They're trying to get Kris and I together, well it won't work.'_

Kris laughed at Taylor's tongue twister, then yawned. "I need to get to bed. What did you want?"

"I wanted... _'you'_ ...to say goodnight and I hope you're ok after that scuffle with Del."

Kris felt warm all over. Taylor did care. He wanted to know how he was even though he could easily see he was just fine. "I'm good." he answered, then touched Taylor's lip. Taylor flinched. "I'm sorry you got hit Taylor."

"Better me than you. Besides I wouldn't have wanted to see you leave with that sadistic thug. Who knows what he would have done with you, to you." Taylor shuddered with the thought of something brutal happening to the kid.

"Well you came along. You're my superman." he leaned forward and carefully kissed Taylor on the lips.

Taylor drew in a deep breath. He was suddenly aware that his heart was beating heavily and aching in his chest. He closed his eyes and pulled Kris closer, right onto his lap. He pitched his hips up and ground his erection against Kris's butt.

Kris kissed Taylor's neck since the brunette's lip was hurting from the punch he took protecting him. He heard Taylor moan and felt him grab his hips to control his body. Taylor continued to dry hump Kris until he came in his boxers, then he jacked Kris off and kissed him goodnight.

Luke finally removed his long fingers from Noah's body. "I want to see your ass. Turn around and let me screw you from the rear."

Noah eagerly got on all fours- one of his favorite positions because Luke could go so deep if their bodies were aligned just right. "Good, I can't wait anymore."

"I know, but I like foreplay." Luke chuckled as he pushed his cock into Noah. Their hearts beat furiously as he entered the brunette slowly and steadily. Noah's back instinctively arched just before Luke grabbed Noah's hips to lift his ass higher.

"Ahhhmmm" Noah moaned when Luke hit 'the spot' just right. It felt so good he thought his body would splash to the mattress in a puddle.

"God!" Luke uttered, then groaned as the last few inches of his cock entered Noah's body. "Uuuuhhhnnn"

His groan swept over Noah's back, giving him goosebumps. "Luuuuke...." Noah breathed and reached forward, searching for something to hold on to. He found the headboard and braced himself against it, knowing Luke was horny as all hell and wouldn't be gentle, which he welcomed wholeheartedly.

Luke started out fast, going at Noah with a fierce rhythm. His pace went faster and faster causing Noah to cum rapidly on the towel under him. His mind and body was dizzy with the orgasmic aftershocks when Luke pulled out and said with urgency, "Turn over babe."

Noah frowned with confusion at the request. He balled up the towel and tossed it on the floor and turned over onto his back. Luke repositioned himself, sitting on Noah's chest. He pumped his cock and aimed it at Noah's mouth. "Open and swallow." he said breathlessly.

Noah opened as wide as he could. He watched Luke shoot cum at his mouth. It hit the back of his mouth, coating his throat. The flow began to slow and lose it's velocity. It hit his chin, then his chest and finally flowed over Luke's fist and stopped.

"I love you." Luke said in a dreamy, out-of-body-experience sounding voice.

Noah swallowed, smiled and said, "Love you."

Luke fell next to Noah and turned to him. He wiped his boyfriend off with a tissue as he giggled and asked, "What do you think Taylor is thinking right now?"

Noah laughed and patted Luke's thigh. "I don't know, but it's all on you!"

"Kris needed a place to stay. It's temporary and if something grows between them like it did with us, then we did Taylor a favor."

"What's this 'we' stuff?" Noah smiled and ran his hand over Luke's chest, feeling the hairs tickle the palm of his hand. "This was your scheme to get them together. Not mine. You suffer the consequences alone buddy." He rolled onto his side and kissed Luke's shoulder.

"I can handle it." Luke smiled and kissed Noah's forehead. "If this works out, they'll be thanking me at their wedding!"

Noah laughed loudly. "Wedding! Boy, your head is in the clouds." he hugged Luke and threw a leg over his body and breathed in the sweaty, sexy smell of Luke.

"According to Stephan, Taylor needs a boyfriend." Luke stated and ran his fingers through Noah's dark, wavy hair. "Is it wrong to want to see our roommate happy?"

"I think he's happy as he is right now." Noah sighed, the feeling of fingers in his hair relaxed him and he fluttered his eyes closed. "You know, Taylor probably didn't know what hit him when he found out Kris moved in."

"Good! He needs a little spice and surprise in his life. By the way, your body is sinfully gorgeous." Luke massaged Noah's scalp, eliciting a low moan of pleasure from the brunette who was blushing like a teenager talking to his first crush.

"You are dangerously handsome and wickedly conniving Luke." Noah chuckled, "And you're devilishly naughty in bed."

Luke grinned. "Thanks, I'm starting to really like the top."

"I like you on top too." Noah lifted his head and kissed Luke's mouth, his searching tongue passing between Luke's lips. He found what he was looking for- another tongue- and caressed it with the tip of his own.

Taylor woke up to find Kris in his bed. He frowned and silently rolled over as he closed his eyes. _'Why can't I resist him?! I am stuck with him. Damn that Luke and his plots and plans. I wonder if he's up? I need to find out what's going on.'_

Taylor slipped out of bed and looked back at the blond. He was sleeping soundly, like a baby and in a fetal position. Taylor licked his bottom lip, winced at the sting, and put on a pair of jeans. He quietly left the room and headed up to the loft.

"Luke, Noah?" he called out quietly in case they were asleep. "Guys?"

Taylor reached the top step and saw Noah getting dressed.

Noah looked up, surprised and quickly went to the bed and covered Luke's naked body. "Hey Taylor." Noah said as he turned back around.

"Sorry." Taylor apologized. "I figured him for someone who sleeps in flannel." he laughed, but quietly.

"Me too!" Noah chuckled and covered his mouth. "No, he likes to sleep naked."

"Hm." Taylor hummed and asked, "Did you have a hand in orchestrating the events downstairs?"

Noah held up a hand and shook his head. "Not one bit. Luke is the one. He thought since you helped us get together, he'd help you and Kris."

"There is no 'me and Kris'." Taylor denied it. "I am not looking for a relationship right now. Please stop trying to put he and I together. Tell Luke to keep his schemes to the stories he writes, ok?"

"He's only trying to help Taylor." Noah defended Luke. He had to. Luke was asleep and couldn't stick up for himself. "His intentions are pure and not malicious."

"I know Noah." Taylor smiled. "I'm not mad. I would have liked to have known we were getting a new roommate and not have been surprised, that's all. I didn't have time to prepare and I felt some loss of control. I like to know what's going on. It's in my nature."

"I'll let him know." Noah said. He quickly glanced over his shoulder at Luke, who was still asleep.

"Thank you Noah." Taylor said appreciatively.

Noah nodded and followed Taylor downstairs. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast while Taylor went to the sliding glass doors and went outside to stand on the balcony. His skin immediately missed the coolness of the air conditioning. The California sun was midway in the sky and the temperature was rising, but it wasn't too hot yet.

Taylor looked around. He was the only one outside at this time of day. He felt an unexpected loneliness and suddenly his emotions demanded his attention and energy. His mind was restless with thoughts. _'Kris and I are both adults and responsible. Well- I am more so than him on both counts. We want each other and we definitely have a spark. Hell, it's a burning inferno. What's my fear? Why don't I want to get close to him?'_

Luke sighed loudly, scratched his head and opened his eyes as he woke. He sat up and smelled bacon. He jumped in the shower, then dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.

"Hi." Luke said, wrapping his arms around Noah and resting his head on his back.

"Hi." Noah smiled and finished turning the bacon with the metal tongs. He turned around and gave Luke a kiss good morning. "Taylor had a little talk with me. He's a bit upset that you didn't inform him that we had a new roommate."

Luke shrugged, "He'll get over it." then he grinned, "Did he and Kris sleep together?"

"I don't kno-"

"Yes." Kris entered the kitchen with a shy smile. "Thanks for letting me rent the bedroom Luke. I think Taylor is coming around." he said while he searched the fridge. He held up a bottle of Snapple. "Do you mind if I drink this? I promise I'll get my own groceries on payday."

"Go ahead." Luke answered and cocked his head, "Where do you work?"

"I work part-time at my dad's business." he answered and uncapped the bottle of peach tea.

"Doing what?" Luke asked curiously as Noah drained the bacon and handed the plate to him.

Luke and Kris walked to the dining room. They sat down, then Kris answered, "He owns a Surf and Turf restaurant on the other side of town. I bus or wait tables whenever I want to show up. Don't worry. He's paying the rent whether I work or not, but I have to buy my own groceries, clothes and whatever I want."

Noah walked into the room with waffles and eggs. He set the plates down and asked where Taylor was.

Luke got up and looked around and happened to see Taylor on the balcony. Luke knocked on the window and waved him in. Taylor nodded and came inside.

"You alright?" Luke asked.

"Yes. You?" Taylor asked, knowing Noah would be true to his word and tell Luke about his concerns regarding Kris.

"I am. Sorry about not letting you know about Kris." Luke said and walked into the dining room and took a seat.

Kris's face lit up when he saw Taylor. "Hi!" he said to the blue eyed brunette, who pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Hi Kris. Sleep well?" Taylor asked politely without looking at the young blond as he put a waffle on his plate.

"I slept great thanks. How about you?" Kris asked with a big grin, then took a bite of hot, crunchy bacon.

Taylor added fresh fruit to his breakfast and said blandly, "I slept fine. Pass the orange juice please Noah."

Noah handed the carton to Taylor and watched him pour it in his glass. He wondered why Taylor was snubbing Kris.

Taylor looked up and smiled at Luke and said with a slight laugh, "So, you like to sleep in the buff huh?"

Luke furrowed his brow and looked at Noah, who broke out of his thoughts about Kris and Taylor.

Noah laughed and said to Luke, "He came up to the loft to talk to you and there you were, in all your glory."

Luke turned bright red. He squirmed with discomfort and mumbled, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Noah massaged Luke's shoulder and said, "I covered you up."

"After I got an eyeful." Taylor laughed, missing Kris's look of dismay.

Kris ate breakfast in silence then excused himself to shut himself in his room.

Luke watched Kris leave and looked at Taylor expectantly.

"No. I am not going after him." Taylor said, eying Luke. "I need time to myself. I think I'll go to the bookstore and hang out there for a while."

"What do you want me to tell Kris?" Luke asked.

Noah jumped in and said, "Luke, don't say anything to Kris. They have no commitment to each other like we do. They'll do their own separate things like normal roommates do."

"You're right. I have to go write and you have to do your thing." He smiled, stood up and kissed the top of Noah's head. "See you later."

"Yup, later." Noah said and watched Luke sashay away.

"He has a nice ass." Taylor said teasing Noah.

Noah laughed, "He does, but so did Kris in those leather pants last night."

"Mmm, he does in anything he wears." Taylor stated, thinking back to last night when Kris had on his shorts. He stood up and announced he was leaving.

Noah smiled and said, "I guess I'm stuck doing dishes alone."

"Oh! I can stay and help you."

"No, go ahead. I have nothing else to do." Noah said and stacked the plates. Taylor watched him, then picked up the juice glasses and took them to the kitchen. "Noah, come with me. We can hang out."

Noah thought about Taylor's offer while he was rinsing dishes for the dishwasher and nodded slowly, "Yea, ok. That sounds good. Let me tell Luke."

While Noah and Taylor were downtown and Luke was writing, Kris was in his room lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_'Taylor ignored me after I asked him how he slept. His answer 'fine' sounded like he was bored. Why am I here? I could have been trying to be more independent in an apartment near dad's restaurant. This sucks!'_

Kris rolled over on his stomach and rested his head on his forearms. He breathed slowly, his emotional burden obvious, and blinked back his tears. _'I'm only good to get him off. Maybe that's ALL I'm good for. Del wanted me for that reason too.' (sigh) _


	12. Chapter 12

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 12

RATED: PG-13+ FOR INNUENDOS, LANGUAGE & MENTION OF DRUG USE

**  
SUMMARY: KRIS COMES HOME BACK AFTER LEAVING FOR THE DAY, NOAH GETS INTO TROUBLE, LUKE TURNS TO TAYLOR FOR COMFORT & VICE VERSA**

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

Taylor and Noah came home around supper time with 2 large pizzas and a few movies to watch as well.

"I'll go grab Kris." Luke said. He went to Kris's bedroom and knocked on the door, but he was received with silence. He opened the door and found the room empty. He walked back out to the living room and said, "I don't know where he is. Did he say anything to either one of you this morning?"

Noah shook his head. "No. we didn't really think to ask him about what he was doing today."

"Maybe he went to work or out with friends?" Taylor shrugged.

"I'm surprised he didn't say anything to me when he left. I didn't even hear him leave. I was so into writing my book." Luke said worriedly. "I hope he's alright."

"Why wouldn't the kid be ok?" Taylor asked, taking a bite from a slice of veggie pizza.

Noah stared at Taylor and said, "Because, of the way you blew him off this morning at the breakfast table." He took Taylor's pizza out of his hand and took a bite as he narrowed his eyes at his roommate.

"I did not." Taylor declared and grabbed another piece of pizza.

"Did so!" Luke commented, snatching Taylor's new pizza slice and eating it.

"Hey!" Taylor looked at Luke, then at Noah. "What is wrong with you two? There's a whole pizza on the coffee table. Get your own or is it too much to ask you to bend over?" Taylor laughed and picked up another piece.

"Luke!" Noah teased, "He's asking us to bend over. You want to go first?"

"We're just messing with you Taylor." Luke laughed, "But you were a dick to Kris. You better be nice to him from now on. He's a person just like you and Noah and me."

"I know. I don't know where my head is at." Taylor said, putting his pizza down and putting a movie in the DVD player. He sat on the couch and got comfortable. "Join me?" he asked and patted the couch.

After 2 movies and only 4 slices of pizza left in the cardboard box, the three decided to go to their respective bedrooms and relax. Before they got up off the couch, Kris came through the door with a guy his own age.

Kris said a quick, slurred hello, then led the guy to his room.

"Hey!" Taylor called out irately. "Hey!!!"

Before Kris could open his bedroom door, Taylor ran to him and questioned, "Who is this schmuck?" He jabbed his finger on the young guys chest.

Kris snickered with and asked drunkenly, "Jealous?"

Taylor huffed, crossed his arms, and said with sarcasm, "No, I want to know whose name you're going to be calling out in the middle of the night." all the while glaring at Kris.

Kris giggled and asked his 'friend' jokingly, "What is your name again?"

"You're drunk." Taylor muttered angrily. He addressed the other guy, "Whoever you are, you better leave."

"His name... is Trent." Kris said and draped his arm across Trent's shoulders. "And he's not leaving."

Taylor pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. "Trent, go away. Kris, come with me."

"What if I don't want to." Kris asked with a smile, followed by a laugh.

"Do it." Taylor ordered with a stern look.

"Trent, go in my bedroom." Kris looked at Trent as he lowered his arm. "I'll be in there in a bit."

Trent quickly went into Kris's bedroom and shut the door as Taylor grabbed Kris's arm and pulled him into his room. He turned Kris around and asked, "What are you doing with that jerk?"

"Nothing.... yet." Kris grinned mischievously and gave a chuckle.

Taylor shook his head. "Are you going to sleep with him? Never mind. It's none of my business. Do what you want to do!"

"I will!" Kris yelled. "You can't tell me what to do. You don't want me, so I'm going to find someone that does- if it takes me forever."

Taylor's eyes softened as he stepped forward. He caressed Kris's cheek and said, "You're a terrific guy. It won't take you forever to find someone."

Kris reached up and pulled Taylor's hand off his face. "Don't touch me! You can't touch me anymore." he said, backing up to the door. "Leave me alone Taylor. I'm going to get over you somehow, someway." then he turned his back on Taylor and left.

Taylor heard the other bedroom door shut, then laughter. He sat on the bed and scowled.

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Luke and Noah exchanged a worried look.

"Should we go check on them?" Luke asked.

"No, let them deal with it, but I do feel bad that Kris brought someone home just to make Taylor jealous."

"It worked." Luke said, lying on Noah's chest.

"The poor guy he picked up thinks he's going to get lucky though." Noah commented and rubbed Luke's back.

"Maybe he will."

"I hope not! He's the rebound guy and he's going to get hurt." Noah explained. "He's going to feel used."

"Not if he knows what he's getting into to begin with."

"Yea, I guess that could be the case."

" Let's go to bed. We have to get up early because the guy that's going to put up our wall is coming in the morning." Luke said and sat up. He smiled at Noah and patted his thigh. "Wanna do it one last time without a wall and a door shutting us in?"

"Of cou-" Noah's cell phone rang. He looked at the number and mumbled a curse word and looked at the time. It was after 10pm.

"What? Who is it?" Luke wondered out loud.

"Just wait." Noah said to Luke and answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Tonight? Now?"Noah asked.

"Why? I thought they were good." Noah said with annoyance.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Noah shook his head in frustration.

"Yea, fine. In twenty. Bye." Noah hung up and cursed again.

Luke sat back down and said, "You have to work?"

"Yes. That damn Zachary didn't like how the photos came out. He called the photo director at GQ and demanded that I do them again."

Luke was silent, anxious and apprehensive.

"He told her that the pictures weren't very flattering and if I don't do them again he's going to demand that I be fired." Noah sighed and stood up. "I have to get my things and go. See you when I get home."

Luke stood up and hugged Noah. "What time will you be done?"

"I don't know. Depends how cooperative he is. You've met him. He can be an ass." then he said with a smile, "I love you. Go to bed and I'll wake you up when I get in for some lovin'."

Luke nodded, "Alright. I'll be waiting."

Noah got his camera, flash and film for the shoot and left. Luke stomped up the stairs to the loft and undressed. He pulled back the blanket and tried to go to sleep.

Downstairs, Taylor was almost asleep when he heard a mattress squeaking and someone moaning. He clenched his teeth and fought the urge to go to Kris's bedroom and yank him out of there. He turned over and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds. It didn't help; he could still hear Kris's enticing moans. Finally, more than 20 minutes later, it was quiet. Taylor breathed out and decided to try to go to sleep when he heard Kris and Trent talking.

Realizing he wasn't going to get any sleep, Taylor got out of bed and went to the couch in the living room and turned on the tv. He found a channel to watch and was immersed in a movie when Trent walked into the living room, gave Taylor a nervous glance and left. Taylor muttered, "Ass." and turned back to the tv. He sighed and wondered if Kris was alright. He wanted to check on him, but he didn't want to give the impression that he was worried about him, even though he genuinely was concerned. _'The guy had sex with Kris and didn't even stay the night. He probably didn't even cuddle with him. God Kris, what did you get into? Stupid kid.'_ Taylor felt really low that Kris would bring someone here and have sex right across the room from him. He was still wondering what to do when Noah burst into the house and muttered a string of swear words.

"What happened?" Taylor asked and stood up.

Noah shot Taylor a 'mind your own business' look and went upstairs. Noah sat on the bed and looked at Luke with trepidation in his eyes, debating whether he should wake him or not. He decided he'd better. He gently shook Luke's shoulder.

"Huuuhh?" Luke opened his eyes and smiled. He looked at Noah and instantly his heart stopped. "What? What happened?" he asked fearfully.

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Luke ran down the stairs and saw Taylor on the couch. Having nowhere else to go, he sat next to him and wept. Taylor looked to the loft, then to Luke and asked, "What's the matter?"

Luke lifted his head and leaned on Taylor, who hugged him.

Noah sat on the bed, fighting his tears. He undressed and made the decision not to go after Luke because he wanted to give him time to digest what he'd told him. He took a shower to rid himself of the shame before crawling into bed, lying there- wondering how his night had gone all wrong.

Downstairs, Luke whispered so Noah couldn't hear. "Noah... left to do a photo shoot with his ex. He got there and no one else was there except Zachary. Noah thought he was the first to arrive, but he found out later he wasn't. Zachary had sent everyone home, the lighting guy, the set people, all of them, before Noah got there." Luke hugged Taylor tighter as he cried quietly.

Taylor closed his eyes. He needed this hug too because of what Kris had done. He would have never thought he'd push the kid so far as to sleep with another guy, but he had, and now he regretted it.

Luke continued with a muffled sob into Taylor's shoulder. "Noah told me Zachary gave him a joint to smoke before the shoot. Zachary left to get ready or change or something and when he came out of the dressing room he was naked. He..... ohgod...."

"Shhhh... tell me." Taylor said, lifting Luke's face. He looked into his hazel eyes and felt like he knew what Luke was about to say by the pained look in them.

"Zachary.... that fucking sleazy..... fuck! He..... I can't say it!" Luke sobbed.

Taylor pulled Luke's head to his chest and ran his hand down his head to his back. "It's ok." he tried to console Luke.

Luke shook as he sobbed. "Taylor... they kissed." he mumbled.

"Luke," Taylor smiled, "Is that all? That's nothing. I'm sure Noah pushed him away."

Luke shook his head. "No, you don't know it all. Noah let him.... let him-"

Taylor frowned. _'This sounds bad. Real bad. Oh no!'_

"He let that fucking model give him a blow job!" Luke cried.

"What??" Taylor said angrily. "Why? I don't get it!"

"Noah told me he accepted the joint because he was so angry at Zachary for having to redo the shoot and he thought it would calm him down. He... was high, but it still counts as cheating, right? Right Taylor?" Luke cried.

Taylor didn't know how to answer. "I don't know Luke. At least he told you."

"Noah said Zachary knows he smokes sometimes when he's stressed. I didn't know he smoked! Taylor, the whole photo shoot was a ruse to get Noah there so he could seduce him-- and it worked!"

Noah could hear Luke now because he was practically yelling and sobbing at the same time. Noah felt so bad, but he hadn't known what he was doing with Zachary until after he came, and only then did he realize what he'd done and felt incredibly guilty. He didn't tell Luke he yelled at Zachary and pushed him. Maybe he should now. He got out of bed.

Taylor looked into Luke's eyes and felt as desperate as Luke looked. He leaned forward and kissed Luke's full lips. Luke closed his eyes and kissed Taylor back with as much need as he felt on his roommate's lips.

Noah's heart broke. He watched Luke and Taylor for a minute, thinking they would realize what they were doing and stop, but they didn't. He couldn't blame either one of them. He cheated and he didn't deserve Luke. He turned away and went back to bed, hoping Luke would come up soon so they could talk.

Luke pulled away from Taylor, smiled at him and went back in for a kiss. Taylor moaned and added his tongue to their kiss. Luke wanted to crush his mouth against Taylor's, but he knew his swollen lip had to be hurting.

Taylor broke the kiss when he heard Kris open his bedroom door and close the bathroom door. _He's probably taking a shower after getting fucked! UHH! Why do I care? I shouldn't._

"Taylor? What are we doing?" Luke sat back.

"You're hurting, I'm hurting. We're comforting each other, that's all. I'm not sexually aroused, are you?"

Luke laughed and shook his head. "No, you're my roommate. You're attractive, but I'm not attracted to you like that."

"Same here. I guess we should stop." he said and looked to the loft. "He might see us and-"

"I don't care if he does see us. He had another guy's mouth on his dick!" Luke's tears began to flow again. "I'm never getting involved with anyone again. He lied to me. He said he'd be faithful. He's just like all the rest. All men are scum."

"Hey, I'm a man." Taylor smiled and wiped the tears from Luke's face. "Am I scum?"

Luke shrugged. "I bet Kris thinks you are. Did that guy he brought home leave yet? Did they screw?"

Taylor looked down and said softly, "Yes, and I am scum. I shouldn't have pushed him into another guy's arms."

"Maybe that's what I did too? Maybe I pushed Noah into Zachary's arms." he sighed and rested his head on Taylor's shoulder.

"No you didn't. You are great. You didn't do anything wrong, but if you don't talk to Noah, you may lose him."

Luke sat up and said, "Lose him? I lost him when he let that bastard suck him off!"

"I don't think so. I think he's sorry and will want to make this up to you somehow."

Luke stated without a doubt, "I don't want him back Taylor. I don't trust him. I'll never trust him again!"

Noah turned over and felt the effect of Luke's harsh words overcome him. His body felt heavy with guilt and sorrow for hurting the person he was in love with.

"You should go talk to Kris." Luke stated, looking at Taylor's face. "You said you're hurting too."

Taylor nodded and looked down. "I am, but he seems to have moved on."

"I doubt that very much. He told me.... uh..." Luke promptly closed his mouth.

Taylor's head shot up. "What did he tell you?" he asked, curious about what Luke was about to say before he abruptly stopped speaking.

Luke averted his eyes. "He can tell you himself." he answered. "Ah, Taylor? I'm sleeping on the couch, so if you don't mind leaving now I think I'll try to cry myself to sleep."

Taylor hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry Luke. Will you be fine out here? You can take my bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, I can't ask you to do that." Luke said. "Go to your own bed."

Taylor stood up, looked at Luke, then at the loft. "Just talk to him, when you're ready."

"I'm not ready nor do I think I ever will be. I'm considering kicking him out."

"You can't do that based on him cheating on you." Taylor said, "He could sue you."

"He wouldn't dare." Luke growled, thinking about Noah. He looked up at Taylor and said, "Goodnight."

" 'Nite." Taylor walked away shaking his head- angry at Noah for being such an imbecile. He walked down the hall and was about to head into his room when he heard crying coming from Kris's room. He rolled his eyes, but his heartstrings tugged for the kid at the same time. _'Everyone in this house is messed up tonight, including me!'_

Taylor knocked on the door and asked, "Kris?"

Kris was sitting cross legged on his bed, crying with his head in his hands. "Come in." he said in a tiny voice, then looked up and saw Taylor's concerned face. He wiped the tears off his cheeks and tried to smile at the brunette, but failed and ended up crying again.

Taylor sat on the bed. In an instant, Kris moved forward and threw his arms around Taylor. "I'm sorry." he cried.

Taylor pulled back to look at Kris. He was somewhat confused. Sorry for hugging me? "What do you have to be sorry about?" he asked, then brushed Kris's hair back. He saw the blond close his eyes and sigh at the gesture, but Kris quickly recovered and with a sad, ragged breath said, "I slept with Trent. I did it to spite you, but you didn't care did you? I used him to make you jealous and it didn't work. I have to move. I have to leave here. I can't live under the same roof as you. I get it now. I fulfilled a need in you and now you have another need that someone else will fill-- and another guy after that. See? I'm not as stupid as you think." Kris's lips trembled and he moved away from Taylor. He nervously bit his fingernail and stared down at his blanket.

"I never thought you were stupid Kris, but I am." Taylor admitted. "I led you on and let you down. I pushed you too far and look what you thought you had to resort to just to get my attention. I should have went with my instincts and admitted my feelings for you."

Kris looked up and raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

Taylor opened his arms and said, "Come here."

Kris's heart sped up and he lurched forward into Taylor's embrace. Taylor kissed him on the head and said, "You know I care about you and what happens to you."

"You're not just saying that?" Kris had to ask to be certain. His heart soared when Taylor answered, "I mean it kiddo."

Kris let out a happy moan and rested his head against Taylor's body.

"Kris, before you go to sleep, I need you to move your stuff into my room. I'll help."

Kris sat up and grinned, "Really?!"

Taylor nodded, "Yes, but not for the reason you think. Luke and Noah broke up and Noah will need his room back."

"Why did they break up? They seemed so happy and in love." Kris frowned.

Taylor started cleaning out Kris's dresser and answered, "Noah cheated on Luke with his ex. That guy you saw me with at the club, Zachary. He's a model Noah was supposed to take pictures of tonight. Long story, short, Noah was high and let him give him a bj."

"Poor Luke!" Kris said sadly as he carried a bundle of clothes to Taylor's room. "What is he going to do?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think he's sure either."

Kris looked at Taylor and asked, "Where should I put my things?"

"Ah...." Taylor looked around. "In a pile on the floor for now until I can make room for you. You don't mind sleeping on the floor do you- just until I can buy a cot?" Taylor looked away form Kris's shocked face and laughed.

Kris gasped and said, "On the floor?"

"I'm joking." Taylor laughed harder. "You are going to be fun to pick on that's for sure." Chuckling some more, he went back to Kris's bedroom. They moved all of his clothes and belongings. Afterwards they were exhausted and crashed on the bed.

Taylor turned his head and asked, "How was he?"

"Who?"

"Trent." Taylor smiled and touched Kris's cheek.

"Oh him?" Kris blushed. "Um, alright I guess. He wasn't you. He wasn't experienced. He wasn't you. Oh, I said that already." he smiled.

"Hm."

"Hm?"

Taylor kissed Kris's forehead and said, "Yea, hm."

"What's hm?" Kris asked and sat up to look at Taylor's face.

Taylor smiled and stated, "You love me, don't you."

"I told you I did already. Days ago in fact." Kris said.

Taylor nodded and said, "I remember, I was wondering if you still do."

"Yes, I love you." Kris bent down and kissed Taylor's lips gently, mindful of the brunette's bottom lip, then he rested his head on his chest and exhaled happily.

"Kris," Taylor said as his hand touched his blond hair.

"Yea?" he asked sleepily.

"I love you too." he said and kissed the top of his head. He waited for Kris to react, but he didn't.

"Did you hear me?" Taylor wondered aloud. He could hear Kris hitch his breath.

"Yes. You love me. You said you love me." Kris turned so he was facing Taylor. "You DO care!"

"Yes, I do care." Taylor laughed and hugged Kris.

"You love me!" Kris grinned and hugged back. His dream had come true. "Are we boyfriends now?" he asked excitedly.

"Well... I suppose we are." Taylor's hand strayed and cupped Kris's butt. "No more bringing strange guys home, right?"

"Never!" Kris laughed. "I'm so happy! I want to tell Luke and Noah."

"Not a good idea. Let's not tell them right away. We don't want to throw it in their face when they're not doing so well."

"You're right. Too bad they're broken up. We could have double dated." Kris pouted.

Taylor laughed and pulled Kris closer. "Lets go to sleep. I'm so tired I don't even want to get undressed." he yawned.

Kris watched Taylor fall asleep, then he got up, turned off the light, and wiggled his way back into his boyfriend's embrace. He fell asleep extremely happy.


	13. Chapter 13

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 13

RATED: PG

SUMMARY: LUKE GETS MUCH NEEDED HELP FROM TAYLOR

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand. 

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Noah moved back into the blue bedroom the following day, right after Taylor notified him that Kris moved into his bedroom. For over two weeks, Noah walked around the house in a daze when he returned home from work every night. On the weekend, he stayed in his bedroom and read books on photography or the GQ magazine despite Taylor's and Kris's attempts to get him to go out with them.

Luke's wall was put up in the loft and a door was installed the day after he broke up with Noah. He easily avoided Noah because he knew his schedule- when he left for work and when he came home. He kept to himself in his bedroom and worked on his book. He poured himself into his work so he wouldn't think about how hurt he was... until he came to the part in his book where the one boyfriend catches his boyfriend with his lover. Then his tears fell and his emotions ran rampant, unrestrained, uncontrollable. That's when he quit writing.

Taylor dropped Kris off at his dad's restaurant almost every morning before he went to the clinic to work. He kept hinting at Kris that he should go to college, but Kris wasn't very warm to the idea. Taylor teased him and asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. Kris had no idea what he wanted to do except help Luke. It had been so long since any one of them had seen their roommate.

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Kris and Noah were making supper in silence while Taylor was napping on the couch. He was tired after a long night of lovemaking and a long day at work. Luke was up in the loft, as usual. Everyone thought he'd been writing or reflecting on his and Noah's relationship, but in reality he was in bed, curled up in a ball and crying.

Kris stirred the mashed potatoes while Noah took the meatloaf out of the oven. He looked at Noah and said, "You should try to talk to him again you know. It's been over two weeks."

Noah trained his eyes on Kris and clenched his jaw. He already thought of doing that, but he didn't know what to say to Luke that hadn't already been said the night he told him what he'd done.... or rather what Zachary had done. He apologized that night, but Luke didn't forgive him, understandably. He'd tried to talk to Luke. He knocked on his bedroom door, but Luke told him through the door to 'go away', 'get lost' and he even heard a 'fuck off'. Noah left him alone because that was what Luke wanted and he didn't want Luke to be put under undo stress by continuing to bother him.

"I don't think so Kris." Noah said, cutting the meatloaf with a knife.

Kris pried, "Why not? At least see how he is. No one's seen him at all."

"You and Taylor haven't seen him?" Noah asked, shocked. "You haven't talked to him either?" Noah looked worried.

"No, we tried to get him to open the door, but he won't." Kris helped Noah carry food to the table, then walked to the living room and kissed Taylor until he woke up.

"Could you try to get Luke to come down to eat?" Kris asked his boyfriend. "I'm worried about him. I don't think he's eating."

Taylor sat up and looked up at the locked bedroom door. He glanced at Kris and shrugged, "I can try again."

Kris smiled and nodded. "Good. Noah is concerned too."

Taylor rolled his eyes and groaned, "Noah should be trying to talk to him. I can't do everything."

"Just try to get Luke to talk to you even if he won't eat." Kris pled with his eyes widened and his bottom lip stuck out.

Taylor laughed at his begging face. "Ok, but only because you're so cute."

"Again with the cute?"

"Cute." Taylor smiled and captured Kris's nose between his fingers and wiggled it. He let go and stood up. "Wish me luck." he said, walking to the stairs leading to the loft.

Kris watched him walk silently up to the door and crossed his fingers. He hoped Luke would come out.

Noah walked into the living room intending to tell his roommates to come and eat, but he saw Taylor at Luke's door. _'Please get Luke to come out!'_

Taylor turned around and saw Noah and Kris looking expectantly up at him. He crossed his fingers too as he turned to Luke's bedroom. He knocked on the door and asked in a gentle tone, "Luke? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Go away Taylor." Luke muttered loud enough for his roommate to hear through the door.

"I'm not leaving until I talk to you. Please let me in." Taylor stated with his hand on his hip. "I mean it. I was nice before, but not anymore. I'm staying right here until you open this damn door... or I could pick the lock. It's up to you."

Noah's stomach was nervous and knotted. Taylor was being so blunt and he sounded fed up with Luke's behavior. Would Luke respond to force? He looked to Kris, who was smiling with admiration for his boyfriend.

They all heard the click of a lock being turned. All three of them said a silent 'thank god' and watched with hope.

Taylor heard a quiet, "Come in." so he turned the knob and waved to Kris and Noah before he stepped into the dark room.

"Can I turn on the light?" Taylor asked after he closed the door.

"I've got it." Luke said in a soft voice and turned the dimmer switch on the lowest setting.

Taylor's eyes adjusted, then he opened his mouth in shock. Luke was standing by the bed in just his briefs. He obviously hadn't showered in a while- his hair was greasy and matted to his head. He had facial hair too, but Taylor could still see that Luke was pale and gaunt looking. Luke scratched his head and looked confused and weak.

"Haven't you been eating?" Taylor said. "You look awful."

Luke shook his head. "I try, but food makes me ill." he said sadly and sat on the bed, which consisted of a dirty fitted sheet. The other sheet and blankets were twisted together on the floor.

Taylor made Luke get up. He stripped the bed and went into Luke's bathroom. He opened the closet and took out fresh sheets and made the bed while Luke watched, leaning against the wall.

"Thanks." Luke muttered and went to crawl into bed.

"No, no, no! You are not sitting on that clean bed without taking a shower first and shaving that small rodent off your face." Taylor said sternly. He found that being strict with Luke worked better than asking politely.

"I'm tired. I just want to go to sleep." Luke murmured as he stared at the floor.

"You're tired because you haven't been eating. Go shower now or I will get naked and pull you in there with me and wash you up myself." Taylor firmly said, with his arms crossed.

Luke looked up and arched an eyebrow, challenging the brunette.

Taylor wasn't goofing around. He pointed to the bathroom and said sharply, "Go!"

Luke's shoulders rose and fell as he sighed. He turned away and walked to the bathroom while Taylor riffled through Luke's drawers for clean underwear. He heard the shower going and smiled. He pulled out a pair of briefs, went into the bathroom, and left them on the sink for Luke, then he went to the bedroom door and called down to Kris to bring up a plate of food for Luke.

Kris went to the loft with meatloaf, corn and potatoes before Luke finished showering and shaving. He kissed Taylor before he went back downstairs to eat with Noah.

Noah saw Kris come back and smiled at him. "I hope Taylor gets him to eat and come down."

"He's pretty persuasive. He just might."

"Maybe I should move?" Noah wondered aloud. "Luke shouldn't have to stay in his bedroom just to avoid me."

Kris shrugged. "Don't you love him anymore?"

"I still love him. I love him very much, but I hurt him." Noah sighed and pushed his plate away.

Kris stared at Noah, trying to figure him out. He took a drink of milk, then asked, "Why did you let your ex give you a blow job anyway?"

"I- I don't know how it happened. I remember smoking a joint, Zachary being naked, and then we were kissing. I don't exactly know what happened right after that. The next thing I do remember is that I looked down and saw Zack's face when I came."

Kris shook his head. "That's so bad. You shouldn't do drugs Noah."

Noah rolled his eyes. "I haven't since then. I don't plan on doing them anymore." he said and made a solemn promise to himself that he would never smoke or cheat again. He looked at Kris and asked, "How are you and Taylor doing?"

Kris grinned. "Great! Oh, sorry." he then frowned. "I didn't mean-"

"It's ok. You two are happy. Be happy." Noah stated and stood up. "Can you and Taylor clean up? I have some calls to make in my room. Come and get me if Luke comes down, don't forget."

"Sure." Kris looked at Noah and watched him lumber away.

Upstairs, Taylor waited for Luke to come out of the bathroom. When the blond finally emerged, he smelled much better. He looked better too, but he still looked sickly.

"Come here and eat something." Taylor pointed to the plate on the nightstand. "Doesn't it look good?"

Luke paused, "I guess." he sat on the bed next to Taylor and picked up the fork. "Did you make it?"

Taylor lied, "Yes, me and Kris." He wasn't sure if Luke would eat it if he knew Noah had a hand in making his food.

Luke nodded and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard. Nothing tasted right to him. Water even had a bitter taste to him for some reason.

"So, Kris and I are dating." Taylor said, trying to engage Luke in a conversation. It worked.

Luke stopped chewing and looked at his roommate. He smiled slightly and said, "Good." then he looked away.

"For about 2 weeks now. We're in love." Taylor grinned. "You should see him. He's so happy."

Luke shrugged and took another bite, chewing slowly. He was delighted for Kris and Taylor. Taylor really sounded happy, and Luke remembered he used to be happy too. He dropped the fork on the plate and twisted his body. He landed on his stomach on the bed and cried.

Taylor gasped, cursing himself for choosing the wrong subject to talk about. He laid next to Luke and rubbed his bare back. "I'm sorry, really sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Luke's body convulsed and jerked hard as he sobbed. Taylor felt so helpless. He continued to rub Luke's back and kept silent. Eventually Luke calmed down. Although he turned to Taylor with a look of anguish on his face, his hazel eyes looked empty and desolate- showing absolutely no emotion.

Taylor knew Luke had been mentally tormented by Noah's actions, along with physically torturing himself by not taking care of himself. He caressed Luke's cheek, eying him with concern and said with care, "I'm so sorry you're going through this Luke. Is there anything I can do?" He watched Luke's mouth murmur 'no', then Luke's eyes closed. "I'm tired." Luke whispered with a sigh, "So tired."

"Luke," Taylor said near his ear. "If you don't get up and eat, I have to call someone."

Luke opened his eyes and blinked several times. He looked puzzled and asked hoarsely, "Who?"

Taylor sighed, feeling there was no other choice. He tried to smile as he pushed Luke's wet hair off his forehead and said, "The hospital. You need help honey."

Luke's eyes filled with tears and he sniffled. "No. I don't want to go there. Just let me sleep, I'll be fine."

"I can't do that." Taylor said in a gentle voice. "Let me help you."

"Take my pain away." Luke's tears fell and hit his clean sheet. "Make it go away."

Taylor shook his head. "I'm sorry, I wish I could. I wish I could erase all your pain and suffering, but that's something you have to go through. We all do at some point." Taylor watched Luke's face. He seemed to accept the fact that he did have to go through this to get better.

Luke yawned, "I don't want it anymore."

"I know Luke." Taylor sat up and asked, "So what do you say? Will you eat for me?"

Luke's eyes looked uncertain, but he nodded slowly and sat up. He picked up the fork and scooped potatoes onto it. He brought the food to his mouth, but before he could open up, he immediately started gagging and ran to the bathroom and threw up. He said between heaving, "I told you food makes me sick."

Taylor shook his head and took his phone out. He called Kris's cell phone and spoke quietly. He instructed him to call an ambulance and hung up just as Luke came out of the bathroom- paler, sweaty and wobbly. Luke looked at Taylor just before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor.

"Shit!!" Taylor yelled and picked Luke off the floor, then struggled to carry him to the bed. After he got him laid out, he screamed down the stairs for Noah. He was muscular enough to carry Luke down to the couch while they waited for the ambulance.

Noah came racing up the stairs after hearing how frightened Taylor sounded. Out of breath he started to ask Taylor what he wanted, when he saw Luke on the bed.

"What happened?!" Noah yelled in alarm as he ran to Luke's bedside.

"He passed out." Taylor wrung his hands. "Take him downstairs to the couch. An ambulance is coming."

Noah gently slipped his strong arms under Luke and lifted him. He noticed that Luke didn't feel the way he used to. His body felt fragile.

Kris ran upstairs after he got off the phone with 911. All that Taylor told him when he called- was to call for help. He saw Noah cradling a limp Luke in his arms. Luke's head was bent far back over Noah's forearm.

Kris spoke rapidly, in panic, "Ohmygod! What's wrong with him?"

Taylor waited for Noah to head down the stairs before he pulled Kris aside. "Luke is sick, heartbroken. He's stopped eating and now food makes him sick. He's not taking care of his body or hygiene. He was filthy when I came up. He's weak and sleeping all the time."

Kris peered down the stairs and stared at Noah's back with his mouth slightly open. He whispered, "He caused this?" before he looked back at Taylor.

"Some of it, but Luke chose to hide in here and not eat. Maybe I should have been more diligent and forced him to come downstairs 2 weeks ago. Let's go wait with Noah in case Luke wakes up and has a fit." Taylor took Kris's hand and led the way downstairs.

Noah was kneeling close to the couch at Luke's side with tears in his eyes. "What's wrong with him?" he asked with fear as he held Luke's hand and looked at his thin body.

Taylor sighed and licked his lips. He decided to sugarcoat it for Noah because he didn't want Noah to feel guilty. "He tried to eat, but he threw up and passed out."

Noah leaned forward and kissed Luke's cheek. "Wake up Luke." he whispered in his ear.

Luke didn't. His body and mind were exhausted and welcomed the unconscious state it was in.

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The three roommates rode together in Taylor's car to the hospital. They waited impatiently for word from any doctor or nurse while they paced in the waiting room.

A while later a female doctor came into the room and asked, "Is there a Taylor here?"

"I'm Taylor." the blue-eyed brunette said. "How is Luke?" Kris and Noah gathered around Taylor to hear the news. They both looked nervous and shifted their weight from foot to foot.

The doctor smiled at Taylor and said, "He's doing well now. He's severely dehydrated and he looks like he's lost quite a bit of weight in a short amount of time."

"He has." Taylor nodded. "I don't think he's been eating for a while."

"I'm glad you brought him in. He was in pretty bad shape. We have him on I.V. fluids and dextrose. He's awake, but extremely tired and subdued. He'd like to talk to you. Follow me."

Taylor kissed Kris on the cheek and followed the doctor to Luke's room.

Noah was frozen to the spot and watched Taylor walk away. He whispered, "I need to see him. I need to see that he's ok."

Kris looked at Noah and took his hand. "Come with me. We'll sit over here until Taylor comes back." he said as he dragged Noah to a chair.

"I want to see Luke." Noah huffed and turned around. He started walking away from Kris, in the direction Taylor and the doctor went. Kris ran after him and grabbed him, but Noah shook him off. "I have to see him Kris! I have to find him!"

"Ok." Kris said in a defeated way and followed Noah, knowing this was a really bad idea.

Noah looked at one chart outside a door, but it wasn't Luke's. He tried the next one, then another. He went down the other side of the hall, reading charts and eventually found Luke's. The door to his room was open just a crack. He stood there quietly listening to Taylor speaking softly.

Kris stood right behind Noah and whispered, "Aren't you going in? You can't eavesdrop!"

"Shhh!" Noah turned around with his finger on his lips. He wanted to hear if Luke mentioned him or not. If he did, Noah would be able to tell by his tone of his voice if he would talk to him or not. He didn't want to go in the room and add to Luke's misery if Luke was going to start crying at the mention of his name.

"You look much better." Taylor was sitting on the bed holding Luke's hand.

Luke's bed was in the upright position. He said, "I feel better I guess." and laid his head back on the pillow, then looked away from Taylor. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"No problem." Taylor smiled and stroked the top of Luke's hand. "I'm glad you appreciate the help and you're not mad."

Luke stared out the window of his room and said, "I'm not mad."

Taylor cleared his throat and asked, "So, can Kris come in and say hi? Maybe Noah too? I think he was the most worried of the three of us."

Luke sighed heavily. At this point he didn't care. Didn't care about anything or anyone anymore. He shrugged, leaving that gesture to Taylor's own interpretation.

Taylor stood up, kissed Luke's cheek and said, "I'll get them. Be right back." He half smiled and walked to the door when abruptly it opened and he saw his roommates there.

Kris waved to Taylor, motioning for him to come out into the hall to give Noah and Luke some time alone.

Before he left the room, Taylor touched Noah's arm and nodded at him. He whispered, "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it." Noah whispered near Taylor's ear. He watched Taylor and Kris leave, then he shut the door behind them. He turned around and faced the hospital bed. Luke's head was lolled to the side, staring out the window, looking, but not seeing.

Noah took a tentative step to the bed and said softly, "Hi Luke." He waited for Luke to turn and face him, but it didn't happen. He took another hesitant step and another. Luke still didn't turn his head or acknowledge him.

Noah frowned and wondered if he should leave, then he decided to stay. Being here with Luke in silence was better than not seeing him for 2 whole weeks. He carefully sat on the bed and looked at the side of Luke's face. His cheek bone was more pronounced as was his jaw. He longed to touch his face, but he didn't. Instead he looked down and spoke. "Um, lets see... in the last two weeks, I got that fulltime job at GQ and I quit the 'Hot Men' magazine. I won't miss taking pictures of naked guys- that's for sure. It was a means to an end and I found my dream job. No more random jobs here and there either. Oh, your picture is in the magazine. Remember? You saved my butt and modeled the Armani suits for me? Anyway, I saved two copies of the magazine- one for myself and one for you."

Noah glanced up. Luke was still ignoring him and seemingly in a trance. Noah looked down at Luke's hand and wanted to hold it, but he didn't. He continued speaking.

"What else.... ? Taylor and Kris are a couple. They're really cute together, but don't tell them I said that." Noah chuckled, then stopped. He frowned and bit his lip. "Luke, this really scared me. Taylor called me up to the loft and I saw you passed out and it frightened me so bad. I thought for a moment you had killed yourself. I guess that's stupid for me to think that I'm **that** important and you'd kill yourself over me. I'm not important or special. I'm not really even deserving of the time you're giving me right now."

Noah breathed hard. "I'm so sorry for what I did. I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I was high and I wasn't thinking. I've missed you so much Luke. I realize what I did was unforgivable, but please try to forgive me. We had something really good. We can get that back. I know we can. I need you. Luke?"

Luke turned his whole body to the window as tears rolled down his face.

"Luke?" Noah reached out to touch his shoulder, but before he could Luke whispered, "Go away" with a deep rasp to his voice.

Noah withdrew his arm quickly and watched Luke's body quake as he wept. He said sadly, "Luke...."

"Le- leave!" Luke cried.

"Ok." Noah said and stood up. He walked backwards to the door, feeling his heart aching. Luke wanted him to go, or did he? Noah wondered. He took a step forward and waited. Nothing. He walked back to the bed and sat down.

"I told you.... to go." Luke wiped his eyes.

"I know what you said, but I heard what you didn't say." Noah said and waited for Luke to look at him. He was patient and finally Luke did glance at him quickly.

"That makes no sense." Luke muttered as he looked out the window again and yawned. "I'm tired, leave."

"Not yet." Noah said and laid his hand on Luke's sheet covered knee. Luke wiggled his leg to move it off, so Noah removed his hand, but just touching Luke again made him realize that he may never get to touch him again. I made him incredibly sad.

Luke waited for Noah to explain and grew more tired and irritable as the wait dragged on.

"You said you want me to leave, but you didn't say you don't love me anymore." Noah finally said.

"Our love never was." Luke spoke in a monotone voice, "You threw whatever we had away for one blow job-"

"I didn't mean to! Luke I love you!" Noah yelled frantically. "It was a mistake. A horrible mistake. I regret it and I wish I'd never gone on that shoot."

"It wasn't the shoot Noah." Now Luke looked him in the eye. "It was you. You had the choice to let Zachary blow you or not. YOU let him. You LET him." Luke turned away with a yawn and a few leftover tears falling from his eyes.

"You're right. I shouldn't have been high. I shouldn't have let myself get in that position with Zachary. I should have stopped it before it began and came home to you. I wish-"

"Wishes are for fools Noah." Luke mumbled. His lids got heavy and he closed his eyes. "Bye."

"Luke?" Noah got up and sat on the other side of the hospital bed so he could look at Luke's angelic face. He looked so peaceful and tranquil now that he was asleep. Noah knew now just how bad Luke had been hurting. He didn't know Luke had stopped eating or taking care of himself. He silently thanked god for Taylor.

Noah watched Luke sleep, taking his hand and holding it. It rested loosely in his own hand. Noah squeezed it a few times, but nothing happened. He laced their fingers together and held Luke's hand tight, then felt a little squeeze, but it was just a muscle spasm or twitch because it didn't happen again.

The female doctor came in to check on Luke and saw that he was asleep. She smiled at Noah and looked at Luke again. "Well he sure looks comfortable. You and he must be great friends."

_'How do I answer that?'_ Sighing, Noah answered, "We were."

She gazed at Noah and said, "I'm sure you will be again." then she asked Noah to leave for a few minutes so she could take Luke's vitals, take a peek at his body and check his reflexes. Noah walked back to the waiting room and saw Kris in Taylor's lap. Noah looked around and saw a few faces leering at his roommates. Taylor and Kris didn't seem to care they were being stared at, so Noah didn't either. He sat next to them and said, "Luke talked a little bit, mostly to tell me to leave, then he fell asleep. The doctor is checking him over now."

"Glad he's going to be alright." Kris grinned at Noah. "He had me scared."

"Me too." Noah nodded and looked at Taylor. "You're a hero."

Kris laughed, "That's what I tell him. He's my superman." He pinched Taylor's cheek and wrapped his arm around his neck.

"I'm glad I got to him in time." Taylor said, grimly. "I'd never forgive myself if I found him.... you know."

Kris and Noah looked at the floor and nodded, thinking the same thing. Noah was about to open his mouth to admit it was his fault that Luke had withdrawn from the world, when Kris spoke.

"Hey!" Kris said loudly, "He's ok! Let's not worry anymore. We should go home and get some rest and come back in the morning. Visitors hours are over soon anyway."

"I'm staying." Noah said sternly.

Taylor reached out and took his hand, "No you're not. He needs to rest. He doesn't need you hovering over him. Let the doctors nurse him back to health, then you can talk to him once he's stronger and up to it."

Noah thought about that and decided Taylor was right. "Alright, let's go."

The three roommates walked out to the parking lot hand in hand and left the hospital in Taylor's car. At the same time, Luke's doctor was listening to his heart when she heard him murmur, "Noah?"

She asked, "Do you want me to get him?"

Luke opened his eyes and nodded.

The doctor checked the waiting room, but the three men that had come to see Luke were gone. When she returned to Luke's room she saw he had fallen back to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 14

RATED: PG

WARNING: OUT OF CHARACTER

SUMMARY: LUKE'S STAY IN THE HOSPITAL

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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Luke groaned groggily, licked his lips and shook his head before he woke up and opened his eyes. He was facing the window; the day was bright and sunny. _'Typical California. Leave it to me to move here to think my creative juices would flow freely. They DO flow well and I am successful, but I should have stayed focused and not fallen for anyone. All the guys I've dated have been jackasses. They're so superficial. Each and every one of them. They're all buff, good looking and conceited. I should have known better than to get involved with any of them. Especially Noah. He's the only one I truly loved. I thought I loved others, but when I met Noah I knew what love was and what I had been missing with my exs. Now he went and betrayed my trust. I have to move. Screw the townhouse. I don't want to live there. I'll miss Taylor and I like Kris, but Noah? Yea, I will miss him- his smile, his laugh, his arms around me. (sob) His kiss..... I'll miss him... (sob)....'_

Suddenly, he heard a cough and closed his eyes, feigning sleep. _'Please don't let it be him. Please?!'_

"Luke? Don't cry honey."

Luke opened his eyes and turned away from the window to face Taylor. He smiled and breathed softly with relief. "Hi." he answered. "How are you?"''

"How are **you**?" Taylor asked and moved from the brown chair against the wall to the bed. He sat next to Luke and took his hand. He caressed it and looked at Luke with a worried look on his face.

"Better thanks." Luke answered and stopped crying. He saw Kris come into the room with two cups of coffee.

The young blond grinned and said, "Luke! You're finally awake."

"What time is it?" Luke craned his neck to look at the wall behind him. He read the clock and exclaimed, "2:50? In the afternoon? Wow! I feel like Rip Van Winkle."

"Who is that?" Kris asked, looking at Taylor.

Taylor shook his head and laughed loudly. "Kris! You don't know the story about the man who fell asleep after a night of drinking on a mountain. He woke up to find everything had changed- houses and the townsfolk. Different stories say he was asleep for 20, 50 and even 100 years. Depends on which version you read."

"Oh." Kris said, embarrassment. He still had no idea what story Luke and Taylor were talking about. He shyly gazed at Luke and remarked, "Your color came back. You're going to be alright, right?"

Luke nodded and laced his fingers, placing them on his lap. _'Where IS Noah? He didn't come? I knew he didn't really love me. He doesn't care enough to see how I am._

"I can go to the cafeteria and get you something to eat since you missed breakfast and lunch." Kris sat on the bed and handed Taylor a coffee as he sipped his own.

"You've been here that long?" Luke asked in amazement. "Why?"

"We care about you." Taylor laughed as though that was the dumbest question he'd ever heard.

_'Where is Noah?'_ Luke sighed and looked at Kris, then Taylor. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs. "Yea, ok. I'll eat a little something. Like jello or pudding."

Kris handed his coffee to Taylor, gave him a kiss and walked out of the room.

Taylor frowned and wondered what thoughts were running through Luke's mind. He decided to ask, "What are you thinking?" Luke could always tell him to mind his own business if he didn't want to confide in him, but he felt really close to Luke since they shared a kiss and relied on each other that night over 2 weeks ago. It wasn't a sexual feeling, just a kinship from their reliance on one another.

Luke looked up and said, "My book."

Taylor set the coffees on the table near Luke's bed and leaned forward. He whispered near his ear, "Lying doesn't help."

Luke ran his tongue over his teeth and muttered, "_Him_."

"Ah, him." Taylor nodded. "_He_ is eating a late lunch downstairs. He waited and waited for you to open your eyes and low and behold, as soon as he left the room, you wake your ass up." Taylor laughed and patted Luke's hand.

"He's here? I don't want to see him. Make him leave please." Luke raised his eyebrows. "I can't face him. I can't look at him without seeing that prick ex of his on his knees sucking him off. I can't even say _his_ name. Taylor, You have to stay in the room with me. I don't want to be alone with him. He's going to try to get me to forgive him and I can't. I just can't."

Taylor stared at Luke and replied, "You do talk a lot Luke. There were a lot of can'ts in that speech. You have to think positively. Think 'I can'. You CAN do this Luke. You have to resolve this whether you two argue or talk. Make up or go your separate ways. Decide to be friends or enemies. You can figure this out. Personally I'd like you to be amicable to him, just to see what he has to say."

"HE wasn't very considerate of me when he cheated, why do I have to be nice to him?" Luke pouted and crossed his arms defensively.

"Because you're a grown up." Taylor grinned. "Act like it. You know, he is sorry. He talked about this for the past 2 weeks and how horrible he feels. Luke, I know that doing drugs is not an excusable reason for someone to cheat, but Kris was drunk that time he brought that guy, Trent, home and had sex with him. He regrets it. He was under the influence and he didn't know what he was doing at the time either. Noah said he didn't really remember what happened until he looked down and saw his ex right there."

"I don't care. **He** should have left as soon as **he** realized no one was at the shoot or when Zachary walked up to him naked." Luke bit his lip and looked away.

"He didn't though. He's living with the consequences of what he's done. He loves you Luke. Don't waste that, you might never be able to get it back."

Luke frowned and asked abrasively, "Whose side are you on?"

Taylor shook his head and answered, "No one's."

"Then choose." Luke uttered in a sharp tone. "You have to either be with me or against me." Luke stared out the window anxiously.

"That's not fair and you know it. I like you both. I see both sides Luke." Taylor stated angrily. "I'll stay for a little while when Noah comes in, but I really think you need to sort this out, just the two of you alone. **Today**."

Noah walked into the room just then with an assortment of flowers in a vase from the gift shop. His posture showed he was confident and strong minded because he thought Luke would still be asleep. His step faltered when his eyes met Luke's.

Taylor had turned to see what or who had put such a hurt look on Luke's face. He saw Noah and said, "Hi Noah. How was lunch?"

Noah's gaze drifted to Taylor and he gave him a faint smile. "It was fine. Hospital food, ya know." He suddenly felt small and insignificant. He wanted to hide behind the colorful roses, snapdragons and carnations.

Taylor nodded, then grinned when he saw his boyfriend's face. Kris walked in behind Noah carrying a peach colored bowl filled with tapioca pudding. He set it on the table and rolled it to Luke's bed. "Oh shoot! I forgot a spoon. Taylor? Come down to the cafeteria with me." he winked.

Taylor stood up, leaned over and kissed Luke's cheek. "Try with him? For me."

Luke gave him an eye roll. "You are mean." he said to Taylor, then pursed his lips in defiance. Taylor smiled a sneaky grin and left the room with Kris.

Noah was still standing between the bed and the door. He fidgeted and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Um..." he started to say.

"Umm... what?" Luke frowned at him and drew himself up higher on the bed.

"I guess I don't know what to say." Noah looked down at the floor.

Luke let out a short sarcastic laugh. "'I'm sorry' comes to mind. So does 'please forgive me', 'I was an asshole'. Or how about getting on your knees and begging?"

"Will that work?" Noah asked with hope, feeling that the flowers were a stupid gesture. He set them on the table and faced Luke.

"No." Luke answered sharply and looked into Noah's very blue, very apologetic, and very tired looking eyes. He looked older than his 24 years.

Noah actually felt older too. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since he'd moved out of the loft. He'd been having nightmares about Zachary and Luke as well. He stared at Luke and felt Luke's pain when he looked into those brown eyes. It made him want to run to him, kiss him all over and make the hurt go away. Then he thought that if he went away, Luke wouldn't feel so depressed anymore. The hurt he caused this precious human being that he still loved, but that he still wanted to hang on to with hope, deserved so much better than he could offer. He still held on to the fantasy that Luke could someday forgive him. He already knew there was a slim to none chance that Luke would take him back and that had to be something he would have to live with.

Noah suppressed the urge to beg and plead. It would only show how desperate and pathetic he was. He turned around and pulled the brown chair closer to the bed. He sat next to Luke and leaned forward on his knees with his fingers entwined together. He looked down and asked, "I know I shouldn't even ask, but-"

"Then why bother if you already know you shouldn't? What's the point?" Luke muttered snottily.

Noah shrugged and said, "You're right, forget it."

"No, now I'm curious. Say it anyway." Luke demanded despite himself.

"I was going to ask if I could drive you home when you're released, and if I would be able to continue to live at the townhouse?"

"I don't care if you stay because I'm moving out."

Noah raised his head and sat up. "What? No, I'll move. It's your place. I just thought, maybe, we could still be friends and at least be able to live under the same roof. I guess not." Noah hung his head once again.

"I highly doubt we can be friends." Luke shifted his body to turn away. "I don't trust you as a roommate or anything else we were to each other. That trust has dwindled to nothing... destroyed."

_If only I hadn't smoked that weed, none of this would have happened. Zachary is scum! Pretending he didn't like the pictures I took just to get me alone and seduce me. I wish I had seen through his lies. I should have known better- he always was a liar and always will be. He's a sneaky bastard!'_ Noah had a thought and instantly perked up. "I can make it up to you. I will Luke!"

"You can't! Nothing will build up that trust again. Not one damn thing!" Luke grumbled as doubt continued to fill his mind. He wanted to believe there was something Noah could do, but the images of Noah with Zachary assaulted his imagination. He sighed and wanted to cry with the thought of Zachary at eye level with Noah's crotch. He had so many questions that he really didn't want answers to. Did Noah enjoy it? Did he want Zachary back? Had he seen his ex since the blow job? Why did he do it to begin with? Why did this have to happen?

"Luke, I know what I have to do now! I know this is going to work. I just know it." Noah grinned. Unintentionally, his hand found Luke's and he grasped it. Luke pulled away, but not before he felt the stirrings of longing in his body for Noah. He was confused. He didn't think Noah would still have an effect on him because he thought he hated the brunette. He realized he didn't. What he hated was that Noah swore he'd be faithful and he hadn't been able to keep that promise. He understood now that maybe he could forgive Noah, but things between them would never be the same.

"What are you going to do?" he asked Noah. "The trust is gone. I may be able to forgive you someday, but I can't trust you." Luke turned away and swallowed. His throat felt constricted and he was sure he was about to cry. Thankfully Taylor and Kris entered the room with a spoon. Kris walked to the bed and handed it to Luke and told him to eat. Luke looked at him angrily for taking Taylor with him, but when he saw Kris's smile, he couldn't be mad. Kris just had that kind of smile that made you want to smile in return.

Taylor walked to the bed and laid a hand on Noah's shoulder. He asked, "Did you have a good talk?" His eyes searched Luke's. What he saw discouraged him. _'Shit. I thought Noah would have had an 'in' already. He's a sweet talker, why hasn't Luke forgive him?'_

"Not especially." Luke narrowed his eyes at Taylor. He didn't appreciate the 'game' Taylor was playing.

"I thought it was ok." Noah turned his head and looked up at Taylor. "I have to make a call and run an errand. I'll be back." he said, stood up, then simply left- leaving everyone watching the door close.

"Huh." Taylor said and scratched his head. "I wonder what that was about." He turned to Luke and smiled, "Oh well."

"What did you guys talk about?" Kris asked. Taylor shot him a look that told him it wasn't really tactful to come out and ask like that, but now that he'd asked, Taylor wanted to know too. He turned back to Luke and raised his brows.

Luke debated about telling his roommates. They would only push harder to get Noah and him back together and he didn't want to be pushed. "I told **him** I was moving out and he told me he would move instead. Either way, one of us is moving so you don't need to try to get us together."

Kris's face fell. "But, Luke, you can't move! Noah can't move! The four of us are friends."

Luke chuckled at the irony of Kris's definition of friendship. It was way off. "Friendship means trust Kris. I don't have that with **him**."

"Aw come on Luke!" Taylor frowned because Luke was so stubborn. "The guy was high, not in his right mind and you know that Noah wouldn't have done that under any other circumstances. Don't you?"

Luke closed his mouth and tightened his jaw. He didn't answer. _'Aren't they listening to me? I said I don't trust HIM. I don't want a relationship with HIM. Why are they being relentless? Why are they bothering me and not yelling at HIM for what HE did? Why is our breakup MY fault?'_

Luke turned his head slowly to look at Kris, but he couldn't say what he wanted to, to Kris anyway. His young face looked so damn innocent. Luke looked at Taylor and muttered, "I want you both to leave. You haven't listened to a word I've said."

"Yes-" Kris began.

Luke glanced at Kris and said, "No, you haven't. I've expressed that I want nothing to do with **him** and you left me alone with him. Now you're telling me to be friends with a cheater!" Luke looked at Taylor and asked hypothetically, "What if you found out your twink there had an affair with someone? What if he invited Trent back to the townhouse and had sex with him while you were still dating each other?"

"I'm not a twink." Kris looked nervously at Taylor and whispered, "Am I?"

Taylor laughed at Kris and said to Luke, "Ok, you got me there. I would really be pissed off just like you are, but your circumstances are different. Noah was under the influence of a drug."

"What would you do anyway Taylor?" Kris asked and snaked his arm around Taylor's waist.

Taylor kissed his cheek and said, "Mm, probably beat the shit out of Trent, then who knows. I'd deal with you somehow."

Luke sat up and pointed at Taylor. "See! You'd be angry. I have a right to feel how I want, and how I want to feel right now is betrayed! So leave me alone."

Taylor stepped forward, letting Kris's arm drop. He leaned over Luke and asked loudly, "Why? So you can wallow in your self pity? People make mistakes Luke. It's a fact of life."

"No shit sherlock! I made a huge mistake by trusting another guy. I knew he was going to hurt me eventually."

"Wow Luke, I didn't know you had such high expectations of your boyfriends." Taylor said sarcastically. "Sounds like you didn't have a speck of trust to begin with. You had a preconceived idea that all your past boyfriends were going to leave you and inevitably they did. You know why? Maybe they sensed you didn't trust them!"

"Shut up!" Luke huffed and looked away dismissively.

"You know, I think you need a dose of reality. Noah has been suffering over these past two weeks too, not just you. He said he apologized to you. He isn't too proud to beg for forgiveness. He wants to do what ever it takes to-"

Luke covered his ears. "Shut up! I don't want to hear about **Noah**!"

Taylor pulled the blond's hands away from his ears and pinned them down to his hospital bed. Kris gasped at how forceful Taylor was being. He felt bad for Luke, but he knew Taylor knew what he was doing.... he hoped.

"Listen to me and stop acting like a dumbass!" Taylor growled. "I don't care what Noah DID. It's in the past and he's sorry."

"You can't talk to me like that!" Luke yelled to Taylor's face.

Taylor replied dryly, "Get over it and get on with your life."

Kris said in a careful voice, "He's trying to help Luke, we both are."

Luke struggled with Taylor. The brunette finally released Luke's arms and stood back. Luke didn't want to admit that Taylor was right. He wanted to stew some more, make Noah suffer the way he'd been suffering. After a few moments he said, "I have a headache. I want to rest."

Kris took Taylor's arm and pulled him away from the bed. Taylor stopped and went back to the bed. He bent down and whispered to Luke, "Take care of yourself. We'll come back later, call my cell or Kris's cell if you need anything before we get back."

"Screw you." Luke mumbled half angrily, half jokingly.

Taylor chuckled and said, "In your dreams honey." and kissed Luke on the cheek. "Later." he smiled and backed away with Luke's glare meeting his eyes.

Kris said, "See you Luke."

"Yea, go back to high school twink." Luke grumbled and turned away. He hated the fact that they were right. He hated being told what to do and how to do it. He thought life was pretty good before he got roommates, but it was great afterwards and it was amazing after he got to know each of them- even though he got hurt badly. He'd never make that mistake again. Never date a roomie was a rule that he would never break again.

"I graduated from high school 3 years ago Luke." Kris made a goofy face at him like Luke should know better, and turned around. He walked out the door first, leaving Taylor laughing. Luke couldn't help giggling either. Kris took things so literally.

"Take it easy Luke." Taylor smiled.

Luke returned the smile and waved. He looked at the tapioca pudding as his stomach growled. He hungrily gobbled it up, then took a nap.

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A nurse was quietly checking Luke's pulse when he woke up and looked around. "What time is it?" he asked, seeing the room was dark- save for a light above his head. The curtain was closed over the window so he couldn't see if the sun was out or not.

The nurse looked at her watch and said, "7:30pm. Your friends are around here somewhere. Probably the cafeteria. They didn't want to wake you."

"All three of them?" Luke asked with wide eyes.

"Hm, no I only saw two. A young blond and a dark haired man." she said and documented Luke's heart rate. She took his blood pressure too, then said, "Remind them our visiting hours are done at 8pm."

"Ok."

"I'm going to bring you something to eat. Do you have a preference for turkey salad or egg salad?"

"Turkey salad please." Luke replied, watching the nurse wheel the blood pressure machine out of the room. He used the remote to turn on the tv mounted on the wall and watched some mindless dribble until Taylor and Kris came into the room.

"Hey! You're awake." Taylor said and hugged Luke, who remained stiff and didn't give into the hug.

"Hi Luke." Kris said and gave him a hug too, but a longer one. "How are you now?"

"Fine." Luke said and turned off the tv. He looked towards the door expectantly but no one else came in. _'I thought Noah was going to try to get me to forgive him. He doesn't even bother to show up with Taylor and Kris.'_

Taylor watched Luke's eyes closely. "He didn't come with us." he said, referring to Noah. "I haven't seen him since this afternoon here at the hospital."

"I don't care. I don't want to see him. What makes you think I was wondering where he was anyway?"

Taylor shrugged, pretending not to know, but Kris spoke up and said, "You looked at the door like you thought he was going to walk through it."

Luke glared at Kris and lied through his clenched teeth, "No I didn't. I'm waiting for the nurse to bring my sandwich! Ah ha! There she is, see?"

The nurse came into the room with a smile and a tray. She set it on the table and rolled it to Luke's bed. "Eat up. Your doctor is coming in tomorrow morning and will most likely discharge you. She also is going to suggest a few names of good psychologists."

Luke scoffed after she left. "I am not going to see some psychologist to analyze me. I know what's wrong with me already. His name is Noah Mayer and if I can forget him, I'll be just fine." Luke unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite.

Kris took a seat in the brown chair while Taylor sat at the end of the bed. "Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

"Noah Mayer." Luke stated and ripped a bite off his sandwich with his teeth.

"No, come on Luke. It's just us." Taylor looked at Kris and back at Luke. "Just me and Kris. Tell me what is really bugging you. It's not Noah. It's something else."

Luke set his sandwich down on the plate and opened the carton of milk. He took a drink and stared at Taylor for a long time. Taylor blinked first and said, "Fine. Don't tell me. If I leave, will you tell Kris?"

Kris sat up and said with an eagerness to please, "You can tell me anything."

Luke shook his head, "No, no I can't." he pressed his lips together and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep the feelings from bubbling up. It didn't help much.

Taylor saw Luke's mood change. He moved the table out of the way and hugged him. Kris took Taylor's spot at the bottom of the bed. He didn't know what else to do so he gently rubbed Luke's leg for comfort. He heard Luke crying while he asked Taylor about Noah.

"Why didn't he come? Where did he go? I thought he'd be here. He said he still cared, but he doesn't."

"I'll call him on my cell. Just a minute." Taylor said and reached in his pocket.

"No!" Luke said and touched Taylor's arm. "Don't! Please. I'd rather he come of his own free will and not because you told him to."

"Ok." Taylor agreed. "I won't call."

"Kris either." Luke looked at Kris.

"I won't, promise." Kris smiled shyly.

"Thanks for being here for me. Sorry I was so bitchy before."

"It's ok." Taylor smiled and took Luke's hand. "We just want you to get better and I pushed too hard. I'm the one who is sorry."

Luke shrugged. "We're both sorry. What about you Kris? What are you sorry about?"

Kris looked up in surprise. "Uh, me?"

"Yea," Luke smirked. "You have to be sorry too."

Taylor laughed and looked at Kris. "It's alright kiddo. He's teasing you."

Kris nodded and said, "Ok Luke, if I have to be sorry about something, then I'm sorry for this." then he promptly grabbed Luke's ankle and tickled his foot with his free hand.

Luke let out a whoop and a laugh and kicked his leg to get Kris's grip to loosen. He succeeded.

Kris grinned, hearing Luke's laughter and was proud that for a few moments Luke was happy, even if it was just for a few moments.

"Ohhh... Kris that was very, very naughty." Luke's laugh slowed to a chuckle. "Taylor, you need to tie him up and tickle him for me."

"I don't do tickling, but the tying up I can do." he replied and winked at Kris, whose cheeks were reddening.

"Uhhh-" Kris stood up and backed away. "I have to ummm," he turned and pointed to the door. "go get a drink of water."

Taylor watched Kris leave, laughing about how uncomfortable his boyfriend was.

"God he's easily embarrassed isn't he?" Luke smiled.

"He's really fun to tease." Taylor replied and became serious again. "So, when Kris and I see Noah at the house tonight, do you want us to say anything?"

"No! Well, unless he asks. Then just tell him I'm feeling better, but that's it. Nothing else ok?"

Taylor nodded, "You got it." then he looked at Luke long and hard. His eyes were beginning to get some sparkle back and he definitely looked healthier since his color returned. But he still needed to gain back about 8 pounds.

"Anything else?" Luke asked.

"No, why?"

"You're staring at me." Luke smiled and pointed to his tray. "Mind if I finish eating?"

Taylor set the plate with the sandwich on it in his lap. "Eat away."

Luke picked up the rest of the turkey salad sandwich and asked, "So, what's with the staring?"

"Oh, I was noticing how much better you look." Taylor smiled.

Luke nodded as he chewed. "Now that I'm eating a little here and there I don't feel as weak. I do feel better in the physical sense."

Taylor teased, "So your just mental then?"

"Ha Ha." Luke smiled, then paused. "Taylor?" he said in a quiet, serious tone.

"Hm?" Taylor leaned forward to hear better.

"Why do you think Noah let Zachary do that? Wasn't I good enough for him?" Luke sighed and dropped the unfinished sandwich on the plate. He let his head fall back as he looked worriedly at Taylor.

Taylor sighed. Luke should really be asking Noah these questions, but Taylor decided he'd try to answer as best he could- according to what Noah told him."He told me he didn't know what was going on at the studio. He couldn't remember things and he felt numb." Taylor raised his hand and combed his fingers through Luke's hair. He grinned and asserted, "And yes! You are good enough for him, better than him in fact. Better than any guy lucky enough to date you." He lowered his hand and rested it on the bed.

Luke looked down and took Taylor's hand and held it. He slowly said, "But I'm not a model. I don't look like the guys Noah is used to dating. He sees perfect faces and bodies and takes pictures of them."

"Luke, there is no such thing as perfect. Don't sell yourself short. He loves you because of your personality and who you are. Plus, you DO have a great body and you're very attractive, but remember, there is more to loving someone than their looks."

Luke let go of Taylor's hand when the nurse came in with Kris. "I'm sorry, visiting hours are over." she said.

Kris walked to the bed and smiled. He kissed Luke's forehead and said goodbye, then Taylor did the same.

"We'll come in the morning to take you home." Taylor waved.

"Bye guys." Luke returned the wave and sighed. He thought Noah would have shown up before visiting hours were up, but he hadn't. He rubbed his face and looked at the door with hope once more before he fought back his tears.


	15. Chapter 15

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 15

RATED: NC-17 ( 2x )

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

***No beta for this chp. Ididn't want to bother Katrina so I decided to read it through myself. All mistakes are my own****.***

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Luke had tossed and turned all night- he couldn't get his recent ex- boyfriend, Noah, out of his head. He raised his hospital bed to the upright position and looked at the clock behind his head. It was almost 9am. Almost immediately a volunteer peeked in, saw that he was awake, and brought in a lidded plate on a tray. He smiled at Luke and lifted off the blue plastic lid that kept his breakfast warm.

"I heard you're leaving today so I put in a double batch of eggs for you. You look like you need more calories." the volunteer stated.

"Thank you." Luke smiled and watched the volunteer leave. He put jam on his toast and put sugar in his coffee. When he couldn't eat anymore, he rose out of the bed in his gown and decided to take a shower. Luckily, one of his roommates had the foresight to bring him some clothes. He found them in a bag next to the bed.

While he was in the shower, he thought of all the things he could say to Noah and all the things Noah might say to him. Then he thought Noah might not even want to talk to him anymore and may have given up and gone back to Zachary. He sobbed, feeling incredibly useless. He heard a knock on the bathroom door and jumped in surprise.

"Wh- what?" he asked as he turned off the water to listen.

"Are you done in there?"

"Not yet. Taylor?" Luke drew his eyebrows together. "Taylor is that you?"

"No. It's Noah."

Luke's heart seized. Noah here? Now? Luke didn't really have time to prepare to face him. He hurriedly dried off, then he pulled out his clothes and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. _'Great, whomever picked out my clothes brought my short, cutoffs and a wife beater! I'm gonna look like a male hooker! Taylor! He is so dead!'_

Luke took his time as he dressed and brushed his teeth with the supplied necessities in the plastic cup on the sink. He fixed his hair with his fingers, stared at his reflection and sighed. He thought he looked alright. He turned the knob on the bathroom door and opened it, then gasped loudly.

His view was of his bed and sitting on his bed was the perfectly proportioned, gorgeous model Zachary- smiling smugly at Luke. Luke wanted to cry out, but he couldn't make a sound or move. He was frozen to that spot. He wondered why Zachary was in his room, then in an instant, Noah came from the right and stood in front of Luke. The blond steeled himself, wary of what Noah's intentions were.

Noah apologized, "Sorry, I was getting a drink. Are you ok?"

"Are you nuts? No I'm not ok!" Luke pushed Noah's chest and sneered at Zachary, "Get out!"

"Aw... Luuuke. Don't be mad." Zachary said in a condescending way, while grinning, as he rose from the bed.

Luke couldn't help noticing the way he moved- fluidly, smoothly, sexily like all male models do. It made him feel inferior, conscious of his own appearance.

Noah spoke up, "Leave Luke alone. Tell him what you know!"

Luke glanced at Noah. Noah was clearly angry at Zachary, but Luke wasn't sure why yet. "What's going on?" he asked nervously.

Zachary stopped right in front of Luke and cupped his face, but Luke turned away. Noah slapped Zachary's hand away from Luke and growled, "Don't touch him, tell him!"

Zachary grinned with his perfect white teeth and said to Noah, "According to you, he already knows I blew you and that you liked it. What's to tell?"

"That's it!" Luke yelled, "I'm out of here." he pushed between the two men and walked to the door.

"If you could have kept him happy in bed this never would have happened." Zachary ridiculed Luke and laughed.

Luke stiffened. He turned back to the two men in his room with a look of grief, then shame. He saw Noah grab Zachary's collar and pull his body close. Noah yelled in his face, "That's not true! Apologize to him! He didn't do anything to you."

Zachary wasn't afraid of Noah, but he turned his head and said without feeling, "I'm sorry." then he turned back to Noah and smiled. "Maybe I could teach him a few moves huh Noah?" He swiveled his groin against Noah's crotch.

Noah pushed Zachary so that the model scrambled back and he fell onto the edge of the bed. He just sat there laughing.

Luke frowned at Noah's ex, then at Noah. "Why are you doing this to me?!" he yelled- his angry eyes burning into Noah's blue ones. "Isn't it enough that you told me what you and he did, but you have to bring him here and throw it in my face too?!! You insensitive asshole!" Luke ran to Noah. His fists hit Noah's chest repeatedly while Zachary cheered him on.

Noah grabbed Luke's wrists and stopped him. He pled, "Luke, just listen please?" He looked at Zachary and told him to shut up and said he was calling the cops if Zachary didn't come clean right now.

"Noaaahh... you're no fun. I wanna see him get mad again. Maybe instead of those sissy hits to your chest he'll kick you in the shin. Or knee you in the nuts!" he laughed. "Hey Luke, doesn't Noah have the best tasting dick in the world?"

Noah let go of Luke and walked to the bed and slapped Zachary across the face. He said sternly, "Don't push me! I know your effin' face is insured because you're a model, but I won't hesitate to bust it up."

Zachary held his cheek where it was stinging. He glared at Noah and said rudely, "I could press charges.... you wanna-be photographer!"

"You do and I'll take that evidence I have in safe keeping to the cops and you'll be in jail or at least paying a fine. But either way, people will find out about what you did." Noah snarled at him with a look of near hatred.

Luke looked back and forth between the two men. He was confused. What did Noah have on Zachary and what did it have to do with him.

"Fine! But you promised you wouldn't go to the cops if I told this loser what happened." he scowled at Noah and turned to Luke. He grinned evilly at Luke as he cut him to the quick, "Saw your picture in GQ. Didn't know they put less than average looking armatures in there."

Luke walked to Zachary and said near his face, "I've had enough of you. You are nothing but an arrogant, pompous ass!"

"Yes he is." Noah agreed.

Luke turned to Noah and said angrily, "Shut up!"

Zachary laughed. This was better than a comedy on tv. "You tell him Luke. He deserves it after the hell he put you through."

"YOU shut up too!" Luke yelled at Zachary. "I don't want to hear anything but your and Noah's footsteps leaving my room. NOW!" Luke exhaled angrily and wanted to rip his own hair out.

Zachary curled his lip, smiling at Noah and said, "Fine by me!"

Noah grabbed his arm and held it tight. He muttered low, "Last chance Zack. Tell him or I call the cops."

"God! What happened to you?" Zachary asked Noah, who was scowling at him. "You used to be so much fun. Then you met Mr. Straight Arrow over there and you changed."

"I didn't change. I grew up and fell in love." He tightened his grip, sure that he was bruising Zachary's arm and said, "Do it."

Luke crossed his arms. He was very leery of Zachary's confession and waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say.

Zachary said with a smile, taunting Luke, "I gave Noah the best blow job he'd ever had!" then he laughed.

Luke's eyes showed hurt. He bit his lip and turned away. He walked to the door when he heard a loud whimper of pain. He quickly turned and saw that Noah had Zachary's arm pinned painfully behind his back. He raised it inch by inch, eliciting another cry of pain. Noah leaned over and said to Zachary, "A few more inches and your arm will break. Good thing we're in a hospital. They can set it for you right away. It would be too bad about your next modeling contract. Who wants a model with a broken arm?"

"Jesussss!" Zachary hissed. "Let me go!"

"No!" Noah spat.

Luke's breathing returned to normal after he let out the gasp he'd been holding inside. He watched Noah raise Zachary's arm again and almost felt sorry for the model, almost.

Zachary stared at the floor. He couldn't stand upright with his arm bent halfway up his back. He spoke with whimpers and labored breaths. "I had Noah's boss call.... ow... everyone to the stu- uhhh... studio. I sent everyone home. I told them that I didn't feel well and I couldn't do the shoot. I knew..... ahhh! OW! Noah dammit! I'm telling him so stop moving my arm!"

Noah smiled at the pain he was causing his ex. He knew he shouldn't be enjoying this, but he was. Zachary deserved it after what he did to Luke and himself.

"I know Noah smokes weed... AHH! Ok, Ok... he smokes only a little bit... sometimes when he's under stress. Better?" Zachary stammered.

"Yes!" Noah answered loud and powerfully.

Luke still didn't know where this was going. He shifted his weight to his other foot, feeling vulnerable.

Zachary continued, "So when Noah got there I told him that he was the first to arrive. He was mad and agitated so I gave him one of my joints to smoke while I went to one of the dressing rooms. I waited until he was done smoking it then-"

"I don't want to hear anymore." Luke bit his lower lip to keep from crying. "I know what happened. You already told me Noah. I don't need to hear it from your lover too!"

"He's not my lover Luke!" Noah stated and accidentally raised Zachary's arm.

"AHHH NOAH! FUCK!!"

"Finish or I'll finish your arm!" Noah yelled impatiently.

"ARRR!" Zachary groaned. "I lace my joints! There! Happy?"

Noah shook his head and looked at Luke to make sure he was listening. He said to Zachary, " No, the rest. Now!"

Zachary whimpered and mumbled, "I seduced him. I came out of the dressing room naked. He was high and drugged out. He didn't know what was going on, where he was or what he was doing. There was only a little bit of PCP in the joint so the effects wore off in 3 hours or so. He couldn't help it. Really."

Luke looked at Noah and saw tears in his blue eyes. He asked, "How did you know?"

Tears streaked down Noah's face. He fought for control and spoke somewhat normally, "I couldn't figure out why I couldn't remember parts of that night, so I went to Zachary's last night. I lied and told him I wanted to have sex with him, but first I wanted to smoke a joint with him."

"Asshole!" Zachary yelled. "I wanted that ass of yours last night! I was so horny!"

"Can't have it!" Noah muttered by Zachary's ear. He looked at Luke and said, "I accepted a joint, and took it instead of smoking it. I told him I was going to get it analyzed by the cops if he didn't tell me what was in it."

"You bastard!" Zachary tried to wriggle out of Noah's grip. "Let me go now. You got what you wanted!"

Noah let go and watched Zachary rub his arm.

Zachary purposely bumped into Luke on his way out, then he stopped and said in a seductive, trained voice to him, "Nice shorts, call me if you want a great blow job. Noah can attest I'm the best around." He grinned and walked out the door, accidentally bumping into Taylor.

Zachary raised and eyebrows and said, "Hey there! I remember you!" he moved in and whispered into Taylor's ear. Kris was standing behind the two men, his mouth dropped open. He remembered seeing Zachary with Taylor at the club. He stared at Zachary angrily because he was so close to his boyfriend.

Suddenly, Taylor pushed Zachary into the wall. Kris looked at Taylor's face and he just knew that Taylor was upset about whatever sexual innuendos Zachary had propositioned him with. Kris balled up his fist took two giant steps toward Zachary and swung.

Taylor looked at the model on the floor, then at his boyfriend. "Nice right hook Kris, but what the hell?" he asked. "He only wanted directions to the parking lot."

Kris covered his mouth and bent down to help Zachary, but Taylor pulled him up and laughed. "I'm kidding! He asked me out and proceeded to tell me what was going to happen at his place if I took him up on his offer."

"Like what?" Kris asked apprehensively.

Taylor smiled and replied, "Graphic stuff a kid your age shouldn't hear yet."

"Are you kidding?" Kris asked, because he wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Taylor wasn't laughing like he usually did when he was joking.

"Oh yea. Weird shit." he answered, then watched a nurse run up to the unconscious model. He wrapped an arm around Kris and lied to her, "He threatened my boyfriend's life, so I hit him."

The nurse crouched by Zachary as other aides came to help.

"What stuff?" Kris asked, wanting to know what Zachary had whispered in Taylor's ear.

"Later. I want to know why that piece of shit was here!" Taylor said and walked into Luke's hospital room.

Luke was clutching Noah in his arms while their soft lips and moist tongues were getting reacquainted.

Taylor backed out of the room, bumping into Kris. "Oops." he turned and caught his boyfriend before he stumbled backwards. "It looks like they're doing ok in there. Wanna go home and get naked before they get there?"

Kris wrapped his arms around Taylor's neck and said, "Just a minute." He winced at his growing erection rubbing against Taylor's groin.

Taylor kissed him and asked, "Why?"

Kris stuttered "I have... I'm a little....um... excited right now. Can't you feel my... uh, enthusiasm?"

Taylor rubbed Kris's waist up and down and said, "You're an adult Kris, you can say boner." He laughed and moved to kiss his blond, blue eyed boyfriend, but Kris stopped him.

"Better not." Kris said and looked into Taylor's eyes. "I don't want 'it' to-"

"You don't want me to exacerbate the situation." Taylor finished for him.

Kris answered, "Yea." and looked down. His gaze slowly rose to Taylor's face. He asked suspiciously, "Why aren't you having problems?"

Taylor kissed the tip of Kris's nose. He put his hands on his boyfriend's shoulders, looked him in the eye and said with a smile, "Because I can control my dick most of the time, unless I've been slipped a little blue pill. Besides, your masculinity is an unleashed animal. Your dick does what it wants when it wants. What I'm saying is, is that you're young and inexperienced."

After a short while, Kris took his boyfriends hand and led him away to the parking lot. "Then experience me." he said.

"I like you the way you are, but maybe I could teach you a thing or two as we get to know each others preferences and dislikes."

"Like what?"

Taylor stopped walking and looked at Kris. "For instance, are you into rimming, voyeurism, exhibitionism, flogging, bondage, threesomes, foursomes-"

"Whoaaa!" Kris exclaimed. "I don't even know what some of that is! Are you into all that?"

"Not all of it. Only one or two things." Taylor turned and walked to his car leaving Kris wondering which one or two he was talking about.

Kris ran up to him and put his hand on his shoulder to turn him around. "Uh," He asked with reserve. "which ones?"

Taylor smiled and said, "You really want to know?"

Kris nodded, "Yes." He did want to know what his boyfriend was into. Hopefully it wasn't the threesome or foursome. He was too jealous to be able to withstand seeing Taylor screw another guy.

Taylor rubbed his jaw and said, "I love being rimmed. I'd also love to tie you up and spank that hot, fine ass of yours."

Kris opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Taylor laughed and said, "Lets go home."

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Luke ran his hands down Noah's shirt and fisted a handful of fabric in each hand. "You have to tell the cops about him!" Luke said, looking at Noah's face.

"I can't, it happened over 2 weeks ago Luke. They will think I wanted it, then changed my mind and now I want to press charges."

"He drugged you." Luke said warningly, "You can't let him get away with that."

Noah shook his head, disagreeing, "If I went to the cops I would have to tell them I was smoking a joint and that my ex laced it. With the publicity, my reputation as a photographer may be ruined and I'd probably have to go to trial. Thats' something I'm not willing to do. I don't want to try to recount what I barely remember."

"So he just gets away with it?" Luke turned away.

Noah walked behind him and put his hands on his shoulders. "Luke, lets forget about him. I have the proof hanging over his head and if he bothers either one of us again, I will take the joint to the cops."

Luke nodded. It was Noah's body and his decision what to do about Zachary. Luke wished Noah would send him to jail, but Noah was right. The cops probably wouldn't take him seriously anyway.

"Can we move forward?" Noah asked hesitantly. "I really need you Luke. I don't want to try to live without you. Can you forgive me for being so stupid?"

Luke stepped away and looked out the hospital window. He said sadly, "It's not your fault really. It's your ex's. He drugged you Noah and you were unsuspecting of what he was doing to your body. You shouldn't have been smoking weed, but I understand why you felt the need to do it, to calm down."

Noah sighed heavily, then he was silent. Luke hadn't said he forgave him. He turned to walk away, but Luke called him back. He turned and over-anxiously approached Luke. He stared at him, memorizing his features. Beautiful, he thought.

Luke thought hard and decided that he really couldn't fault Noah. He believed the whole story because he knew Noah enough to be certain he wouldn't lie to him, but more than that, he believed Noah because he loved him. "Noah, I do forgive you. Will you-"

"No, I want to say it first." Noah spoke in a rushed way. "Will you take me back? Can we get back what we had?"

There was just something about Noah that seemed desperate, timid and ashamed. Luke could tell he was genuinely remorseful about what had happened with Zachary. Luke gave him a slight smile and nodded. "Yes. I'd like that."

Noah leaned into Luke and raised his hand to brush the hair on his forehead to the side, then touched Luke's slightly stubbled cheek. He saw Luke tremble and knew that reaction was a direct cause from his caress on Luke's face.

Luke responded by running his hands up Noah's chest and continued until they were wrapped around his neck, then they tangled in his thick, dark hair. Next, Luke commenced kissing Noah long and hard.

Noah's shoulders relaxed. He had been so tense and fearful that Luke didn't care about him anymore and he'd be unforgiving. He kissed Luke back with all that he was- all the love and emotion he was feeling at the time. Luke's lips were receptive. His body gravitated toward Noah without any control over the raging hormones his body.

Noah couldn't control his emotions either. He hugged Luke tightly as he desperately ground their heated bodies together- creating a feverish friction. An unexpected burst of excitement shot through Luke's body and he gasped in Noah's mouth. Noah smiled on Luke's lips and hungrily plundered his boyfriend's mouth to take possession of it. Luke responded with the same amount of persistent determination. His tongue thrust into Noah's mouth with raw need.

Too soon, Luke's doctor came in. She saw her patient in a passionate liplock with the man she remembered being named Noah. She cleared her throat, then she said, "Ahem." a little loudly after her initial cough went unrecognized. Luke and Noah immediately separated and blushed. The doctor smiled understandingly and asked Luke to sit on the bed to speak to him before she discharged him. Noah sat in the brown chair and smiled at Luke.

The doctor explained, "I have a list of psychologists here for you. I highly recommend seeing one for your depression."

Luke took the paper and frowned. He looked at Noah and shrugged. He didn't think he was depressed now that he and Noah had made up. He may have been for a little over two weeks, but not anymore.

The doctor turned to Noah. "I will be discharging him soon. Will you be taking care of him for the next few days?"

Noah nodded with a big grin. "Yes I will."

The doctor smiled at Noah and replied with instructions, "Good. Make sure he drinks plenty of fluids and that he eats healthy. He should make an appointment with someone on that list as soon as possible. Maybe you can take him to his appointments?"

"Sure." Noah answered.

"Great." she said and had Luke sign his discharge papers, then she left the room after she wished him luck.

Luke handed the list of psychologists to Noah and said with a frown, "Throw that away. I'm not getting analyzed. I know what was wrong with me. I'm fine now."

"You're sure?" Noah asked as he folded the paper.

"Yes. I'm all better and I have an appetite. Take me somewhere to eat." he ordered with a smile.

Noah pushed the folded paper deep into the trash and took Luke's hand. They went to Noah's vehicle and drove to a pizza place near the townhouse.

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Taylor took Kris by the hand and led him to their bedroom where he undressed Kris one article of clothing at a time- leaving his tight white briefs on. He stared at the bold outlines of Kris's shaft, pronounced ridge and head of his dick where his underwear showed an obvious wet spot. Taylor shook his head and said, "Damn kiddo. You have a great cock."

Kris blushed and instinctively looked down at the floor to hide his embarrassment. He heard Taylor chuckle as if it were his intention to make Kris's cheeks burn.

Taylor murmured, "It's ok." then his hands ran up and down his young boyfriend's body without saying another word. He smiled as he took joy in appreciating the feel of the warm, smooth skin under his hands.

Kris was shaking with each erotic touch and caress. He held his breath when Taylor's hand slid down his chest to his underwear.

"GOD I LOVE THIS RIGHT HERE!" Taylor said loudly and passionately, gently grabbing Kris's crotch before his hand dove into his underwear and cupped his balls. Taylor leaned forward and locked his lips with Kris's- kissing him deeply as his hand played in the blond's underwear.

Kris broke away. He closed his eyes and breathed, "Tay... Taylor... lets make love now."

Taylor kissed his way down Kris's hairless chest to his right nipple. He probed it firmly with his tongue and nibbled at it gently with his lips. Kris leaned forward and kissed the top of Taylor's head before he pulled Taylor's shirt over his head.

Taylor stood up and let Kris undress him, then their eyes made contact once again. "Lets take this to the bed ok?"

Kris nodded and discarded his briefs, then he positioned himself on his hands and knees. Taylor got on the bed and moved in behind Kris as soon as he located the lube. His fingers made quick work of Kris- working him expertly.

The sudden feel of Taylor's cock pressing into him sent shivers through Kris's entire body. A loud moan escaped past his lips as he felt Taylor grab his hips and sink inside further. He let out a slightly, painful whimper.

"Ride with it kiddo." Taylor said with a groan at the wonderful feeling of the tightness squeezing his shaft.

"Ohhh, okaaay." Kris closed his eyes and felt Taylor lean over and whisper in his ear. "You have the warmest, tightest ass I've ever had the pleasure of fucking. Let me know if I'm hurting you."

Kris nodded. The air in the room became thick and he was unable to speak, much less think.

Taylor plunged his rock hard cock in, almost all the way inside of Kris. He felt his boyfriend stiffen and held his body still. "I'll go nice and slow."

"I want all of you inside." Kris panted.

Taylor put his head next to Kris's ear again. He asked with a low growl in his voice, "You're sure you want all of this thick cock up inside you?"

"Yeaaa, oh yes Taylor, Please." Kris whispered, feeling Taylor's hot breath on his ear.

Energy surged and rippled through Taylor's body when he heard his own name roll seductively off Kris's tongue. Taylor threw his head back and pushed his tall, lean, powerful body forward, entering his whole length. He rubbed Kris's back and heard him moan.

Kris pushed his body backwards and began rocking back and forth, knowing that Taylor's cock was all the way inside him.

Taylor moved forward and kissed Kris on the shoulder, then with his wet tongue, he licked across Kris's back to the other shoulder. He gnawed on it as he ground the base of his cock against Kris's hole. Taylor kissed the redness he caused on his boyfriend's shoulder before he murmured affectionately, "You feel so good Kris. I love you." then he promptly began to slowly thrust into him.

"I love you too Taylor." Kris answered, then moaned, "Mmm, oooh... make love to me. Yeaaa- ahhh-"

Taylor continued to lean on Kris's back- resting his head against his boyfriend's head, then he reached under Kris's body to grab his cock. He grasped it and stroked it while he pumped his own cock into Kris's hole slow and easy.

"Ahhh Taylor." Kris murmured in pleasure. "God... you're going to.... make me cum... already. Uhh-Uh-Ahh-"

Taylor's cock hardened even more, hearing Kris's moans. He began thrusting a little faster and with more force, grunting and panting with his mouth open near Kris's ear.

Kris trembled with every thrust. He sucked in a quick breath and swore loudly when he came. His arms gave out and he fell forward with Taylor toppling on top of him. They laughed, then Taylor flipped Kris onto his back and re-entered him partway. Kris was still softly panting from his orgasm, but Taylor was just getting started.

"Put your legs around me and hang on." Taylor stared down at Kris's face and looked into his innocent appearing, aqua blue eyes which held him, drawing him in. He smiled warmly with desire at his boyfriend.

Kris's face showed awe and devotion. He asked, taken by surprise, "I get to watch your face as you cum?"

"Yea. You can be the first." Taylor winked and with a big push he was in deeply again.

Kris arched his back as that sensitive gland was hit and rubbed against. "Ohhh... I'm gonna..."

Taylor continued with a fast pace, wanting that sweet release. He looked down and saw that Kris was already hard again. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Two in one night huh? Lucky you."

Kris smiled shyly and raised his hips.

"That's it." Taylor encouraged him. "Move around to where it feels the best. Up, down, to the right or the left. Wherever you feel my cock hit you just right."

"Oh it's hitting just right. I want it to hit faster." Kris grinned.

"Then tell me. I'm not making love to you, but with you. We're in this together. You can tell me what to do you know." Taylor stated firmly with one brow raised.

"Really? How about faster?" Kris asked in a quiet, bashful voice and closed his eyes- waiting with anticipation.

Taylor pulled back and rushed back in several times, then slowed. "How was that? Like it?" he teased, already knowing what Kris's answer would be.

Kris opened his blurry eyes. Everything was cloudy and surreal. "Yessss..."

Taylor chuckled and said, "Here's harder." he pulled back and forcefully rammed his groin against Kris's hole. "And here's deeper." Taylor lifted Kris's hips. He aligned them with his groin and pushed in deeply and pulled out slowly, then in again.

Kris was continuously moaning and grabbing at the sheets. "Don't stop, keep going please. Oh don't ever stop!"

Taylor thrust his pelvis and licked his lips. He stated with a chuckle. "You are **so** fucked-up horny."

"Uhh,ohhh- please faster." Kris begged with a rugged sounding voice. His breath was ragged and his body cried for Taylor's cock to pummel his ass.

Taylor breathed deeply and shook his head. He didn't want to end their lovemaking already. He locked his eyes on Kris's blue ones and murmured, "I can't. I'll cum already."

"So? Cum." Kris grinned and held onto Taylor's arms so he wouldn't be pushed up the bed.

"Ok, but I'm really close." Taylor deep thrusted a few more times, then went at full speed.

"UHHH, UUUHH!"

Taylor grunted as he filled his boyfriend with his hot release. He took a minute to re-group, then he quickly pulled out of his lover and laid between his legs to cover Kris's cock with his mouth. Taylor barely began to suck on Kris's stiff cock before he heard him calling out "Taylor, Taylor!" and "Oh shit!" over and over. Taylor licked and sucked the head and hard pink shaft of Kris's cock and was immediately rewarded with a mouthful of creaminess.

Taylor scooted up Kris's body after licking his lips clean and gave Kris a mind numbing kiss while tangling their legs together.

Kris pulled his head away after a few moments and caressed Taylor's glowing skin as he looked into his blue eyes. He gave Taylor an appreciative smile and a quick peck on the lips before he pressed his naked body to his boyfriend's warmth and snuggled close to him, enjoying the feel of his sweltering, wet skin against his.

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Noah sat across from Luke, looking at the kinds of pizza and the choices of other Italian food on the menu, when he felt he was being stared at. He glanced over the top of the plastic menu and saw Luke leaning on the table on his forearms. Noah lowered the menu and continued to look into the most intense pair of greenish-brown eyes staring at him with adoration. The look in Luke's eyes took Noah's breath away causing his words to tumble recklessly out of his mouth. "What are you doing? What are you thinking? Your eyes are _saying_ something naughty while your body is conveying it _needs_ something naughty. Oh shi-"

Luke laughed, cutting off Noah's sentence.

Noah locked his crystal blue eyes on Luke's sparkling hazel ones. He gave Luke a shy smile and said apologetically. "Sorry, I should slow down and give my libido a rest. We just got back together and I'm already talking about sex."

Luke's thoughts had been sexual too. He couldn't help staring at Noah's luscious lips and having the urge to kiss them until they were red and swollen. He lowered his gaze to rid the wickedly lustful thoughts running through his mind and went back to studying his menu.

"What do you want Luke?" Noah asked with his eyes staring at the blond who seemed to be blushing.

Luke looked up slowly and said softly, "You."

Noah swallowed and felt his groin grow warm, then he clarified himself, "I meant to eat." He held in a giggle. _'Luke is just as horny as I am. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can go home. What am I saying, we could get a pizza to go and leave.'_

"Oh!" Luke's blush deepened in color, covering his face and neck. "I'm thinking we should order to go because I'm _'so horny and I want you now!'_ tired." he lied. He just wanted to get home and into bed, but not to sleep.

Noah's stomach flip flopped with Luke's suggestion. He wondered if Luke fibbed when he said he was tired because he'd heard an eagerness in Luke's voice that hadn't been there when they first sat down to order. At any rate, he agreed, "Lets do that." and watched Luke's tongue peek out to lick his lips. Noah was breathless, wanting that tongue in his mouth, on his neck, on his body.

"Yea." Luke said a little too quickly and emphatically. He was ready to leave now. "Or" he dropped a not so subtle hint, "we can just leave. I'm not all that hungry after all."

Noah exhaled shakily. He could feel his rigid cock pulsing and he thought that surely it was outlined against the cotton material of his shorts. "Ok, if you change your mind, there's leftover chicken and noodle casserole at home." he said, knowing that they weren't going to eat at the townhouse. This was just surface talk, dancing around the real issue of being together intimately.

"Great!" Luke smiled enthusiastically with his dimples and white teeth showing. He stood up and watched Noah rise from the chair. They walked to the truck and buckled themselves in.

* * *

In Luke's bedroom at the townhouse, Noah spun Luke around to face him. Luke looked at Noah with an enticing smile. Without speaking, Noah grasped the back of Luke's head and pulled him close, his lips covering Luke's mouth.

He stripped off Luke's clothes and led him to the edge of the bed. His hands ran up and down Luke's chest, slowly brushing across his nipples, then coming to a rest on Luke's hips. Luke closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the attention Noah was showering on him and felt Noah gently lower him on the bed.

"You are so gorgeous Luke." Noah declared as a fact. His eyes swept over every inch of the blond's body with anticipation of what he was going to do to it. His cock was dripping at the glorious sight of Luke laid out on the bed. He forced his eyes away to take his clothes off, then he laid on top of Luke, just breathing in his scent.

"Noah?" Luke asked as his hands caressed his lover's back.

"Mmm..." Noah moaned and started to kiss Luke's chin and throat. Luke wiggled his hips up and down to create friction and heat between their bodies. Noah grunted his pleasure. His lips descended on Luke's again, then he plunged his tongue inside causing an electric jolt to scream throughout Luke's tense body. They kissed harder as their tongues swirled and their eyes closed.

Luke wrapped his legs tightly around Noah's body and his arms tighter around the brunette's neck. He let out a moan on Noah's tongue and felt his abdomen getting sticky with his and Noah's precum.

Noah slid in one finger with no trouble, then added another- first the tip, then the knuckle and twisted both fingers around and in and up. Noah found that pleasure spot and rubbed it, then turned his fingers and pressed against it.

Luke shivered and moaned. Their kiss became tender and gentle again. Noah lifted his head and immediately his hot wet mouth took in a nipple and sucked it. Luke's breath grew faster and his heart beat quickened.

"I missed you." Luke said grabbing his own cock and stroking it slow and rhythmically for a short while.

Noah mumbled, "Me too." with his mouth still on Luke's taut and tingling nipple.

"I want you to fill me up with your cock."

Noah backed away a little bit and fixed his gaze on Luke. "Yea?"

Luke shot him a wicked grin and said affirmatively, "Yes Noah. God yes!"

Noah's breath caught in his throat. Luke lifted his legs and Noah positioned himself between them. He steered his cock and put the head of it right against Luke's hole. Their eyes continued to stare at each other as he pushed just the head of his cock all the way in.

"Oh God, shit... Oh Noah!" Luke cried out, wanting and panting for more. "It feels so damn good!"

"Yes it does." Noah growled deeply. His head was spinning and his senses were ablaze. He slid in further.

Luke gasped with the sensation of feeling Noah's shaft gliding deeper into him.

Noah started to pound harder, unable to hold back any longer. He lowered his body and kissed Luke passionately as he stared into his eyes and without breaking his thrusting pace.

Luke broke eye contact and tilted his head back just before he grabbed his heavy cock again. He stroked it hard and fast. He exhaled slowly, his low moans became louder, "Ohhhhh-Yeaaaa" His body started to spasm and he came with Noah's hot tongue licking his neck.

Noah felt Luke's body clamp down- contracting on his swelling cock. He felt his own body get hot all over and his inevitable orgasm rising. He panted loudly as he met Luke's eyes, then his body convulsed every time a thick stream of cum shot out of his pumping cock.

Noah smiled widely with undying love for Luke. Noah laid next to him and handed him the towel he had brought in from Luke's bathroom. When Luke had wiped himself off, Noah rolled onto his side, facing Luke and dragged his finger along the line of Luke's soft and smooth as silk lower lip, then kissed him. Noah enveloped Luke in his arms and held him tightly while they tried to catch their breath.

"You were amazing Noah." Luke said as his finger lazily dragged along Noah's muscular, defined back.

"You are amazing, for being so forgiving and understanding." Noah said with great respect for Luke, even though saying it was an understatement. Luke was more than just amazing. Noah didn't know if he could ever forgive himself for what he'd done to Luke, but he was grateful that Luke had been able to see past his shortcomings.

"You seem to get drugged a lot Noah." Luke chuckled softly. "First that roofie at the club and now the PCP with Zachary."

"I know. I really need to watch who I hang out with from now on and what I'm doing. Never again Luke." he explained, "I'm done with drugs and I'll never accept a drink from a stranger or leave my drink unattended."

"Good!" Luke kissed Noah's mouth and added, "Where is this laced joint you took from Zachary?"

"In my room in a baggie. I'll keep it for a while in case he tries something else, then get rid of it. I promise I won't smoke it." Noah pledged and stroked Luke's cheek with a fingertip. "You're not worried I'll do drugs again, are you?"

"No." Luke replied and stared at Noah's lips a few moments before kissing him again.


	16. Chapter 16

**THE CHASE**

**  
CHAPTER: 16**

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RATED: R **

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SUMMARY: Months later.**

**  
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.**

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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"What the hell are you doing here Zachary?" Noah said, standing right behind his ex. "Leave my shit alone."

Zachary pushed his ass backwards, hitting Noah's crotch and grinding against him in a circular motion. "Mmm... Noah. You know," Zachary turned around to face Noah. "I never did let you top me. How about it stud?" he reached out and cupped Noah's crotch, giving it a little squeeze.

"Let go, or did you forget what I said at the hospital months ago about breaking your face?" Noah scowled.

"Aw that? That was a little misunderstanding." Zachary smiled as if there were a camera in front of him.

"Cut it out. You know what I have back at my place and I'm not afraid to use it. Get lost." Noah said, reaching around Zachary to grab his camera bag. He gave his ex a hard glare and started to walk away. "I'm out of here."

"Yea, I do know what you have at your place. A whiny bitch named Luke Snyder." Zachary laughed loudly.

"Shut the hell up. You know nothing about him." Noah snapped as he neared the door.

"Going to the meeting with the head of photography?"

Noah stopped in his tracks and began to slowly turn around. "How-"

Zachary tucked his expensive shirt into his more expensive jeans. "I was invited too. They're thinking about using me for a different shoot. I have to wear more clothing, but I bet that doesn't disappoint you because you're so good at undressing me with your eyes." He walked up to Noah while he sucked on his index finger seductively.

"Shit." Noah mumbled. "Just leave me alone."

"Oh I intend to leave you alone Noah. Don't worry about that." Zachary smiled mischievously. "Bye _lover_." Turning, he left the room.

"Lover my ass!" Noah grumbled to himself and started to leave, when suddenly he stopped and ran back to the table. Thinking about what Zachary had said caused him to become suspicious. He set his camera bag down, opened it and sighed with relief when he pulled out his camera. It was in one piece and appeared to be untampered with. He began to set it inside the bag, but decided to set it on the table instead. He dug through his bag, searching for his portfolio and film. Nothing was in the pockets inside the bag, nothing was where it was supposed to be. The bag was empty.

"Dammit!" Noah yelled and ran out the door. He slowed down in the hallway, nodded and smiled at co-workers and his boss, then made his way to the room that everyone used to relax in. There was Zachary, reclining on the couch with his hands laced behind his head.

"Zack!" Noah strode angrily to him.

Zachary sat up with a look of innocence and said, "What Noah? Did you lose something?"

Noah bent down and muttered, "You damn well know I did you bastard! I want my film and portfolio back right this instant!"

Zachary held a hand to his chest. "Me? You think I would take something of yours that doesn't belong to me? Oh Noah, you have me confused with someone else." he finished with a chuckle.

"I want it back! I swear if I don't get it back right NOW, I am taking that joint to the cops! Give my stuff back to me!"

Zachary stood up and frowned. "And just when would I have taken this stuff?"

"I saw you leaning over my bag in that room! We were just there!" Noah yelled, exasperated.

"Ok, well where would I have put a portfolio and film huh?" Zachary asked spinning around with his arms up. "See them? Anywhere? Wanna check my pants?"

Noah pushed Zachary away before pointing a finger at him. "You did this. You have no idea who you're messing with Zack." Noah said in a low menacing voice."If I don't get the film and portfolio returned to me by the end of the day, I am informing the cops. I swear I will."

"Noah wait," Zachary said. "How long was your bag in there? Because if it was all day, everyone had access to it."

Noah nodded. "You're right Zack, but that also means that you could have been digging in it earlier, taken my things out and hid them before I knew they were missing."

"Why would I even bring up the fact that someone could have stolen it out of your bag since it was there all day if I had done it? That doesn't make sense. And I thought you were smart as well as attractive." Zachary grinned.

"Ok if not you, then who?!" Noah humored Zachary.

"Someone who is jealous of your abilities?"

"Nah."

"Well I don't know then."

Noah let out a very frustrated breath. "Shit! I can't believe someone I work with or someone in this building took my stuff!"

"Go check lost and found." Zachary laughed.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Noah turned to him with a frown.

"Yes, and so do you. Let's go."

Noah rubbed his face, feeling his life go down the toilet. He was literally going to be in the shit hole when he arrived home tonight and told Luke that the pictures he'd taken of him were gone, and when he announced in just a few minutes that the film containing the pictures he'd taken yesterday for an assignment were gone.

~~**~~

Noah drove home, beating the steering wheel with the heel of his hand and cussing. He was in such a foul mood that he didn't even wave at Hank when he passed the gate station. He stormed to the door of the townhouse and entered, then he stood open mouthed at the sight on the floor of the living room.

"Um.... Hi?" Kris lifted his head off the floor and looked at Noah. "This isn't what it looks like."

Taylor stood up, fully clothed and walked to Noah. "I'm giving Kris a full body massage. We didn't expect you this early. What's up?"

"Where's Luke?" Noah asked, looking to the loft. "Does he know what you two are doing?"

"He's not here." Kris answered, sitting up and using the sheet to cover his nakedness. "He went out to grab dinner for the four of us. Why?"

"Ugh! I was sent home early because someone stole several rolls of film from my bag."

"Who would do such a thing?" Taylor asked, taking Noah's camera bag from him and setting it on the table.

"Do you think you could have misplaced them?" Kris asked.

"No." Noah shook his head. "Someone took them."

"So... you think someone might be out to sabotage your career? Who would do that?" Taylor asked, returning to Noah. "And why?"

Kris suggested, "Maybe Luke took your film and is playing a joke on you? My friends in high school once hid my jock in the-"

"No! Luke wouldn't do that." Noah said dismissively with a grimace.

Taylor smiled at Kris and asked, "Where did they hide your jock?"

Kris grinned. "In the-"

"Guys!" Noah yelled. "It wasn't just film. My 'portfolio' is gone too."

Taylor gasped while Kris looked back and forth between his roommates; he had no idea what they were talking about. He got comfortable on the floor, watched and listened.

"Not THE one.... Oh fuck Noah! What the hell were you carrying those around for?"

"I know! Stupid right? I just liked to look at them now and then when I miss him during the day. God I am in so much trouble!"

"With who? What portfolio? What's going on?" Kris asked eagerly. "Tell me too."

"Not now Kris." Taylor said without looking at him. He was studying Noah's distraught face. "What can I do for you?"

"Rewind the day?"

Kris giggled, receiving frowns from his boyfriend and Noah as a result.

"Tell Luke the truth about the pictures and take the consequences." Taylor advised. "There's nothing you can do about the film? Re-shoot?"

Noah shook his head. "No, they reassigned it. God I can't believe someone took my shit. I am so fucked!"

Taylor sighed and put his hand on Noah's shoulder. "I'm here for you man. If you want me around for support when you tell Luke, just ask."

"Me too!" Kris perked up. "I'm here for you too Noah. I don't know exactly what for, but I'm here." he grinned.

Noah forced a smile and thanked Kris, then gazed at Taylor. "He's your toddler." he snickered. How can Kris think he can help? He has no clue what we're talking about, Noah thought to himself.

"Come on." Taylor rolled his eyes. "He's smart, he just needs to act like it."

"Ha!" Noah said, "You better go dress him before Luke comes home and sees him wrapped up in a sheet that looks like a diaper- naked underneath to boot. Luke might think you two did it right here on the floor. Then he'll never be able to come into the living room again because it'll be your sacred territory."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "How do YOU know we didn't do it in here already?"

Noah playfully sniffed the air and said teasingly, "I don't smell **baby** oil or **baby** powder."

Taylor laughed and turned to Kris, who seemed to be angry. "Sorry." he said, but turned to Noah and laughed harder.

"You two are dick sacks." Kris said, standing up and walking to his bedroom. He actually didn't sleep in this room, but Taylor's room didn't have room for his clothes or his other belongings, so he kept those things here and slept in Taylor's room.

~~**~~

Luke knocked on the townhouse door with his elbow because his arms were full.

Noah put his finger to his lips and looked at Taylor. "Give me five... or ten. I have to think."

Taylor watched Noah hightail it up the loft's stairs and enter the bedroom. He watched Noah close the door before going to the front door to let Luke in.

"About time!" Luke said, grinning when he saw Taylor.

"Sorry. I was in the middle of... something." Taylor mumbled. "Let me take a bag or two."

Luke looked around as he followed Taylor to the kitchen. "Where's Kris?"

"In the bedroom I think. He was going to change for dinner." Taylor replied as he put two bags on the kitchen counter.

Luke put the other bag on the counter and began emptying it. "I can't wait until Noah gets here. I love Friday nights, don't you? Friends, food and movies. What could be better, right?"

Taylor winced as he took out containers of rice. "Ahhh, sure, I guess." _'It's going to be horrible when Noah tells him what happened.'_

Luke stopped and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, what is it Taylor?"

"Hm?"

"Somethings off. What is it?" Luke demanded.

"You'll find out in due time. Now help me finish unpacking dinner." Taylor said to Luke, then yelled, "KRIS!"

"What?!" Kris yelled back snottily.

"Get your hot ass out here and help out." Taylor said authoritatively. He knew Kris was sulking and he wasn't going to put up with it. "Now!"

"Damn! I'm coming. Just wait Taylor." Kris yelled back before pulling a shirt over his head. "You're worse than my parents." he stated when he reached the kitchen.

"Yes I am. I'll even spank you if you mouth off to me again." Taylor smirked playfully and unloaded another bag while Luke watched them interacting.

"Kris," Luke said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Help me set the table, ok?"

"Okay." Kris answered, kissing Taylor on the cheek before following Luke.

Luke and Kris took the necessities and began setting the table. Luke whispered, "What's going on. Taylor has a secret and I want to know what it is."

"I honestly don't know. I didn't understand what they were talking about and when I asked, they laughed at me." Kris frowned when he saw Taylor come into the dining room.

"They? They who?" Luke asked curiously.

"Taylor and Noah." Kris replied and received a sharp look from Taylor as a result. Kris lowered his head and said, "I better help bring the food out. I think I've said enough." Turning around, he walked to the kitchen.

Luke glared at Taylor. "You were talking to Noah? When? About what? What is the big secret?"

Taylor sighed. Clearing his throat, he began, "Noah has-"

"Hey Luke!" Noah smiled as he came into the dining room, kissing him on the mouth. "Mmm. You taste good."

"What is going on here?" Luke asked, taking in Noah's face and hair. He ran his hand up and down Noah's hard chest and waited for an answer.

"Oh, it's really nothing."

"What are you doing home so early?" Luke asked suspiciously through narrowed eyes.

"To tell you the truth, I was sent home." Noah looked down and took Luke's hand.

Kris brought in the rest of the food, then sat at the table.

"Do you want us to leave Noah?" Taylor asked, referring to him and Kris.

"No. it's alright." Noah smiled at Taylor and looked back into Luke's eyes. "I lost all the film in my camera bag. I don't know where it went. When I told my boss, she sent me home and another guy is going to re-shoot my assignment. That's all."

"I'm sorry Noah." Luke caressed Noah's cheek. "That sucks."

"What about the portfolio?" Kris said, "You said-"

"Kris!" Taylor said, making a cutting motion across his neck. He couldn't believe Kris sometimes. It was like he didn't think.

Kris promptly closed his mouth and bit his lower lip.

Luke watched Kris and Taylor, then looked back to Noah. "What portfolio?"

"Oh it's nothing. I had some pictures in it to show GQ. No big deal." Noah forced a smile and kissed Luke again as he stared at Taylor.

Taylor shook his finger and his head at Noah. _'He better come clean or he's going to hurt Luke again! Stupid bastard.'_ he thought, even though he was still fond of Noah.

"Let's eat." Noah said, pulling a chair out for Luke.

"Thank you." Luke replied, sitting down.

Kris sat in silence as his roommates around him chatted about their day. If a question was directed toward him, he answered, but didn't engage in the conversations. He knew Taylor thought he was stupid. He decided to leave tomorrow to visit his parents.

After the kitchen and dining room were cleaned up, the four headed to the living room to watch the movie Luke picked up on his way home. Everyone got comfortable, Luke and Noah sat on the couch and Taylor and Kris were lying on the floor. Taylor tried to spoon Kris and pull him close as the movie began, but Kris kept rigid and wouldn't move.

"Come on." Taylor whispered, so as not to disturb Luke and Noah. "Lay by me."

Kris shook his head and moved the slightest bit away.

"Don't be a brat." Taylor scolded.

"I'm not." Kris mumbled back angrily. "I'm pissed off, as if you didn't know."

"About what?" Taylor whispered loudly. "What the hell did I do?"

"You know what you did!"

Noah coughed into his fist to signal that he and Luke could hear them.

Kris sat up and said loudly, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Luke and Noah." He stomped away, leaving Taylor dumbstruck.

Noah nudged Taylor with his toe and said, "Get going daddy. Your child is having a temper tantrum."

Luke giggled and slapped Noah's knee. "Stop it." he snickered.

"Yea, I better go see what crawled up his ass and died." Taylor chuckled before getting up and leaving the room.

"Alone at last." Luke said, pushing Noah away and lying on the couch. "I have the best seat in the house for you right here." he patted the space in front of him. Noah grinned like a kid in a candy store and laid next to Luke, facing the tv before he felt Luke's arms embrace him.

Taylor continuously ran his fingers through his hair as he walked down the hall. When he got to Kris's room he listened at the door, then knocked.

"Come to apologize?" Kris called out.

"No. I came to see what your problem is." Taylor growled.

"You're my problem." Kris crossed his arms as he stared at the door. "You and Noah always make fun of me when I'm right there."

"We aren't 'making fun' of you. We were just having fun." Taylor explained.

"At my expense!" Kris said in a hurt voice. He turned around, walked to the window and looked out of it.

"Alright, I'm sorry. Now open the door."

"No. I'm sleeping in here."

"I don't care where you're sleeping. I want you to come out and watch the movie with me." Taylor said, quickly growing frustrated.

"Did you hear me? I said I'm pissed off at you!" Kris stormed to the door and hit it with his open hand. "Go!"

Taylor hit the door back and yelled, "NO!"

Kris narrowed his eyes and scowled at the closed door as if it were Taylor's face. Taylor wanted a fight, he'd give him a fight. He shouted, "I am sick of you and Noah talking about me as if I had an IQ of a three year old!" He opened the door as he kept yelling, "I don't deserve...."

Taylor grabbed Kris around the waist and picked him up. He stepped into the room and used his foot to kick the door closed.

"Let me go!" Kris yelled and kicked.

"Not a chance." Taylor said, throwing Kris on the bed, reaching in his waistband and pulling his shorts and underwear down at the same time. He descended on Kris, who didn't know what hit him. He was so angry, then suddenly he was moaning and running his fingers through Taylor's thick dark hair as his cock was being swallowed by his boyfriend.

Kris felt Taylor's hands roaming all over his body. First, one hand was pumping gently while the other stroked his thigh, then they both were spreading his legs wider. Next, he felt Taylor roll his balls in his hand while his tongue played in his slit. Kris moaned when Taylor sunk his mouth over his whole shaft- right to the base and back up again.

Taylor was providing the right amount of pressure and suction; the exact speed Kris needed to cum. Taylor stopped for a second to lick his own finger, then went back down on Kris, this time pressing against the tightness of Kris's hole. And tight he was. Tight, hot and almost cumming.

"Nnnmmm !" Kris moaned and lifted his hips high off the bed, bumping Taylor's face with his groin in the process.

"Shhhh. Let me in baby boy." Taylor purred. "Remember how I taught you to relax?"

"Yea..." Kris breathed.

"That's it, let me ease my finger in there." Taylor smiled at Kris before he enclosed his mouth over Kris's cock again. Soon he felt the muscles on his finger release. He gently pressed in further as his mouth moved up and down repeatedly, licking and sucking.

"AUUHG!" Kris called out when Taylor touched that spot inside and rubbed it. "I--" Kris rolled his head back and moaned. "Oh God please!" He bucked his hips and breathed rapidly.

Taylor felt Kris's erection tighten and harden in his mouth and knew that Kris was going to cum. He continued what he was doing and soon was swallowing shots of warm, creamy release. He removed his mouth and continued jacking Kris, making him finish cumming on his stomach.

"Oh holy hell Tay... Taylor... fuck me now! I want your dick." Kris cried out, impassioned, and arched his back as the last shot hit his stomach.

Taylor stood up and swiftly undressed. He scooped up Kris's cum and slathered it on his raging hard on. "Here I come, ready or not." Taylor said huskily as he moved in on Kris.

He slowly entered his boyfriend, watching him wince, then smile. "You good to go?" Taylor asked.

"Yesss..." Kris moaned breathlessly.

"I'm gonna fucking pound your ass so hard...." Taylor said with a chuckle, knowing he wouldn't, but he liked to talk dirty and see the appalled or shocked looks on his boyfriend's face.

Taylor slowly pulled back and re-entered several times. Kris gasped each and every time. He'd never, in his wildest dreams, thought sex could feel so amazing, so intimate, so loving.

Luke had undone his jeans and pushed them down along with his underwear; just past his hips. Noah had removed both of his completely. He and Luke were under the light blanket that was kept draped over the back of the couch.

Luke licked Noah's ear and kissed it. "Baby, are you ok?"

"God yes." Noah replied, followed by a grunt and a long, aroused moan.

Luke smiled and pushed his hips forward again, into his boyfriend, then he slowly pulled back.

"Faster Luke. We don't know how much time we have before those two come back out."

"Mmm... just let me enjoy this fine ass of yours for a few more minutes. Then I'll get down to the real fucking." Luke whispered in Noah's ear.

Noah closed his eyes and moaned, feeling Luke's body against his, then moving away as he glided his cock in and out. Noah moaned long and seductively with every inch that entered his ass.

"God Noah. That moan. So horny." Luke's brain was at a loss for words so he just said whatever came out of his mouth. He hurriedly pulled almost all the way out, only to slam back into Noah.

"Jesus!" Noah said loudly and put one hand on the armrest and the other on the floor to balance himself so he wouldn't fall off. "Go easy!"

"Not a chance." Luke said and wrapped his arm around Noah's waist and held on as his hips slammed against Noah's ass over and over again. He kissed the nape of Noah's neck as he paced himself.

"OhAhhh yea... that's it Luke. Feels fantastic." Noah said blissfully. He felt Luke wrap his fingers around his cock and give a pull. "UHHH" Noah grunted and began pumping his hips into Luke's hand while Luke pumped his cock into his ass.

With spurts and spasms, they both came- Luke biting Noah's shoulder and Noah moaning loudly, the way he always did.

Taylor laughed, hearing Noah's orgasm. He and Kris were sitting naked on the bed after they had made love.

"Forgive me?" Taylor asked, fondling Kris's balls.

"Is that why you did this?" Kris asked, swiping Taylor's hand away, only to have it find its way back again.

"No." Taylor said, staring at Kris's very light brown pubic hair. "You're so damn sexy. Do you know that? So fucking irresistible."

"Is that why you're dating me?" Kris asked.

Taylor looked up with a frown. "Do you really think I'm dating you because of your looks alone Kris? Jesus! Give me some credit. If I wanted a bimbo I'd be dating a bimbo!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound as if I think you're shallow. I know you're not." Kris said apologetically. "Sometimes, I feel like I don't meet your standards. I think I'm going home tomorrow to talk to my parents about going to college. They offered to pay, so I may as well go."

Taylor grinned. "Really? Oh I'd be so proud of you if you did Kris. I want you to do something other than wait and bus tables."

"Are you ashamed of me?" Kris asked shyly, looking at Taylor from the corner of his eyes.

"No. I think an education is a wonderful thing." Taylor said, "You'll feel better about yourself too."

"I feel fine about myself, Taylor." Kris said, his temperature rising. "Maybe it's you who needs to feel better about me!" Kris got up and put on his clothes.

"Where are you going?" Taylor asked, standing up.

"Home."

"This is your home you..."

"SAY IT! Say what you want to say. Dumbshit, right? That's what you were going to say, isn't it?!" Kris yelled.

"NO! You're way of base!" Taylor yelled back.

"Uh-Oh." Luke said, sitting up behind Noah and pulling up his pants. "Hurry Noah!"

Noah stood up and found his jeans, then put them on just in time to see Kris barging through the house to the front door with Taylor on his heels.

Luke and Noah looked at each other, then snickered. "Nice ass." Noah teased.

"Piss off Noah." Taylor said, grabbing Kris by the arm and turning him around. "I did not call you a dumbshit, but you are acting like one now by running away instead of talking to me!"

"I don't care anymore! You all treat me like I'm beneath you." Kris pointed at Luke and Noah, then looked at Taylor. "I AM going to college then maybe you'll be nicer to me!"

"Kris, I'm not going to argue with you. I'm glad you want to go to college. I don't look down on you! You know I don't, so don't even go there. I may joke and tease, but I love you. It's not meant to hurt your feelings."

"Us too." Noah said, referring to him and Luke. "I certainly mean no harm when I joke around. I'll stop."

"Me too." Luke said, although he'd never done the things Noah and Taylor did.

"I still don't care. I'm going home!" Kris wrenched his arm away from Taylor and reached for the door.

"Kris? This IS your home." Noah said.

Kris turned around and gave him a nasty look, then left. He walked down to Hank, the guard, and had him phone a cab.

Taylor turned with his hand covering his crotch, seeing Luke and Noah snickering. "What? You've never seen a naked guy before? Grow up." he snarled and walked to his bedroom.


	17. Chapter 17

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 17

SUMMARY: Noah tells Luke some discouraging news, but keeps his secret about the portfolio, and Taylor meets Kris's mother

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

[|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|]

Noah took a red grape from the tupperware container sitting next to him on the picnic blanket. The day was cloudless, in the mid eighties with a slight breeze gently blowing and shifting his hair. Gazing into Luke's untroubled hazel eyes, Noah murmured, "Open up beautiful," tracing Luke's lips with the sweet orb, then holding the grape on Luke's lips. Luke smiled and opened his mouth slowly to tease Noah.

Noah sighed contentedly, looking down at Luke's face, his head resting comfortably in his lap. "I really love you Luke."

"I love you too Noah." Luke grinned, opening his mouth again to receive another sweet, juicy grape.

Noah gently put one between Luke teeth and smiled. "I mean, I really love you. I can't see living without you. When you left me and I thought I'd lost you, that was the worst thing that had ever happened to me in my life. I know I don't want to ever experience that empty feeling again-- ever again."

Luke sat up with a puzzled look on his face. "What do you mean? What are you trying to say?"

Noah shrugged and answered, "I just want you to know that I love you and that I'm really happy you're my boyfriend."

"Okaaay," Luke stared suspiciously at Noah. "then you need to be honest and tell me what's up." He crossed his arms, feeling that Noah was hiding something from him.

"Nothing is up. Can't I express my love for you when I want? Does there have to be a meaning to everything?"

Luke smiled and said, "No. Sorry Noah. I'm happy you're my boyfriend too."

Noah glanced away. He couldn't tell Luke what he wanted to confess now. He'd have to wait for later.

While Luke and Noah were out having their picnic, Taylor was getting ready to leave the townhouse. After his shower, he dressed in his most attractive shirt, tucked it into his snug jeans and drove to Kris's parent's house.

He casually walked to the door, thinking about what he'd say. He knocked and waited. Kris answered the door, gazing at Taylor's outfit before meeting his eyes.

"What do you want?" Kris asked, his frame trying to fill the doorway so Taylor couldn't come in.

"I came to take you home." Taylor said.

"I'm not ready to go."

"Who's at the door Krissy?" A female called out from inside the house.

Taylor arched his brow and smirked. "Krissy?" Taylor snickered.

Kris turned his head to the voice and said, "It's Taylor."

"Invite him in. I'd like to meet him."

Kris turned back to Taylor and said, "My mom wants to meet you."

"Ok." Taylor shrugged.

Kris rolled his eyes. "Come in." he sighed and moved away from the door. Taylor walked in, shut the door and walked behind Kris. They entered the kitchen where Kris's mom was making lunch.

"Taylor, this is my mom, Crystal. Momma, this is Taylor... my... um, roommate." Kris blushed.

Taylor glanced at Kris as he shook Crystal's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Crystal." He said, then faced Kris and asked, "Kris, can I talk to you alone?"

"Taylor, would you like to stay for lunch?" Kris's mom questioned politely, "I'm going to make soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. One of Kris's favorites."

"He has to leave soon momma." Kris said to her, then turned to Taylor. "What do you want?" he whispered as he led him to his old bedroom.

"Are you breaking up with me? I'm just a roommate now?" Taylor asked, hurt showing in his blue eyes.

"No, shhhh..." he put a finger on his own mouth.

"Oh. Your mother doesn't know about us. I see." Taylor snapped. "You're hiding me? Are you even 'out'?"

"Yes! It's just that she'll have a fit that I'm dating an older guy. She thinks I'm dating someone my own age."

Taylor gave Kris a disappointed look and grumbled, "You have to tell her the truth or I can't be with you. I don't appreciate the fact that you're ashamed of me or my age, **Kris**."

"I swear I'm not." Kris put his hands on Taylor's chest as he gazed into his boyfriend's eyes. "I love you and I want to tell her you're my boyfriend, but the time isn't right. I have to work up to something like that. I just can't blurt it out."

"How about I 'just blurt it out' then?" Taylor's eyes blazed. "I don't get what the big secret is. We're in love for God's sake. You're saying she'll disapprove of that? What the hell?"

Kris shrugged and dropped his hands. "I don't know, I'm scared to tell her."

Taylor chuckled sarcastically. "How did she take it when you told her you're gay?"

Kris lowered his gaze and mumbled, "She said she suspected I was and that she was proud of me for telling her. She told me she loves me the way I am. My dad on the other hand had a harder time, but he's ok with it now. I think he believes it's a phase or something."

"So having me as a boyfriend would be like throwing it in his face? Nice Kris, I'm so glad you feel so strongly about our love that you'd rather keep it a secret than be proud of it." Taylor said and spun around to leave.

"Taylor!" Kris cried out. "Don't go!"

Taylor walked through the kitchen, saying goodbye to Crystal and stopped when she asked Kris, "Where is your friend going in such a hurry?"

Kris stared at Taylor and looked at his mom. "Um, he has errands to run."

Taylor shook his head, glaring at Kris and spat, "That's right **errands**. Since my "boyfriend" has apparently dumped me for reasons that are completely unreasonable and unjustified I have to find a new one." He gave Kris a disapproving look and began to leave, again.

"Taylor! Just wait." Kris said loudly, bringing Taylor back.

"What?" he asked.

Kris looked from Taylor to his mom. "Um momma? Taylor is my.... friend and... boyfriend." he winced, waiting for her to scold him.

Crystal walked around the kitchen counter and frowned at Kris. "You should know better than to hide the truth from me young man! Apologize to Taylor right now."

Kris pouted and faced Taylor. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce you as my boyfriend. Forgive me?"

"Hm, let me think about it." Taylor said, winking at Crystal. She smiled back and shook her head as she went back to making lunch.

Kris looked genuinely worried. "Taylor?"

"Alright. I forgive you, but no more hiding. I won't put up with that. Got it?"

"Yes sir." Kris said appreciatively, happy that Taylor forgave him.

"So Taylor," Crystal asked, "Will you stay for lunch now that things are out in the open?"

"I'd like that." Taylor answered, smiling at Kris.

As the three of them sat at the table eating, Crystal asked, "Taylor, what do you do?"

"I'm a massage therapist for children that need physical therapy."

"That sounds interesting. I bet you meet a lot of exceptional patients." Crystal said.

"They're all exceptional and each one is so unique. It's a joy to meet and get to know every single child. I just love kids." Taylor smiled.

"I'd like to ask, if I may, how old are you?" Crystal pried, leaning forward on the table.

"Mom!" Kris shouted, embarrassed at his mother's assertiveness.

"He doesn't have to answer." Crystal said to her son. "Unless he wants to." She turned to Taylor and raised her eyebrows.

Taylor coughed into his fist and answered, "I'll be 27 soon."

"Oh." Crystal's eyes grew wide as she looked at her son, who told her, "Age doesn't matter when you're in love."

"Love?" Crystal asked in complete shock.

"Maybe I should leave so you two can talk privately." Taylor excused himself from the table.

"Wait, I'll walk you to the door." Kris said, getting up as well. He followed Taylor to the front door and waited for a kiss goodbye. Taylor turned around and asked, "So, are you and I together again?"

"We were never apart." Kris said with a smile. "Love you."

"Love you too and good luck with your mom." Taylor grinned and lowered his head. He engaged Kris in a passionate kiss, then eyed him. "See you soon?"

"Maybe tomorrow. I want to talk to dad about college."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you more." Kris giggled and hugged Taylor. "Bye. Drive carefully."

"I will. Later." Taylor said and walked to his car.

When Kris came back into the kitchen, Crystal stared at him with a look of grief. "Krissy, what are you doing? You claim to be in love? How long have you known Taylor?" she said, reaching up to fix Kris's hair.

Kris ducked and pulled his mom's hand down, away from his head. "Don't momma. Jeez... I AM in love with him."

"But honey, when you were born he was already entering first grade." Crystal said. She saw the look on Kris's face and added, "Ok, think about this then; when he was a senior in high school, you were a sixth grader."

"So?" Kris said as he walked away. "What's your point. I'm an adult."

"The point is, Kris, is that you're too young to know what you want. You're just kind of floating around, working when you want to, doing whatever you want."

"I'm here to tell dad I want to go to college." Kris stated confidently.

"I know that dear, but love is different. You're dealing with his emotions, not just your own."

"Ma! I do love him and I'm not going to hurt him." Kris stomped his foot as well as crossed his arms.

Crystal scowled at him, then a look of astonishment came over her face. "Oh My God! Kris! You and he didn't.... did you?! This is why you think you're in love with that man?" She shook her head and muttered, "Oh no- oh no."

"Momma, listen." Kris reached out for her, but she moved away. "It's not just the se-"

"Don't say it Kris. I don't want to hear this." she covered her mouth, groaning into her hand.

"I thought you were ok with me being gay?" Kris asked, his voice trembling as his stomach clenched tightly.

"I was, I am." Crystal stared at her son, her baby. "It was so much different knowing that you are gay than knowing what Taylor has done to you... with you. I thought..."

"You thought what momma? Would you be prouder if I lost my.... um, you know, with a girl? Well I didn't, because I'm gay." Kris stood nervously in front of his mother.

"I know that, but you're my baby. I'm just so shocked you 'did' something already. My mind wasn't ready for it. I guess I thought I'd see you dating different boys before getting serious with one man and falling in love already, not to mention the fact that you live with him. What do his parents think of you?"

"I haven't met them yet. I hope to soon though." Kris smiled. "So are we cool?"

"Yes we're, as you say, cool." Crystal hugged her son tightly. "Let's not mention the s-e-x part of your relationship to your father though, ok."

Kris laughed and said, "I wouldn't. Not to dad. I'm not a complete moron you know."

~~**~~

Hand in hand, Luke and Noah walked around until their feet got tired. They stopped at an ice cream shop and sat outside at a table, under an umbrella, licking vanilla ice cream cones.

Noah eyed Luke as he ate. His tongue would come out and he would slowly drag it against the side of the cone, licking it, then his tongue would disappear inside his mouth and sneak out and lick his lips. It wasn't unlike how Luke liked to start off sucking dick. Noah shook off the image of Luke licking his member and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Luke? Um, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it." Noah said timidly.

Luke stopped eating and gazed at Noah. "What?" he asked with his stomach tightening, warning him that something was amiss.

"Yesterday at GQ, I saw Zachary. He was there for a meeting."

"What?! That bastard! What is he doing there? What did he say to you? What did you say to him?" Luke questioned anxiously.

"Hold up." Noah said, leaning towards Luke, "They hired him to do some ads; this time he's wearing clothes."

"Are you the one that has to take his picture Noah?!" Luke stood up and glared down at his boyfriend.

"I have to Luke, it's my job." Noah stood up too.

Luke shook his head and walked away, tossing his cone in a trashcan as he passed by. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Noah asked, catching up to Luke and threw his cone away too.

"Knew you and he weren't finished. He's going to be a part of your life." Luke spat and stopped walking. He turned to Noah and asked, "So tell me, did he proposition you again or touch you? Did he talk dirty to you Noah?"

"Uh, er..."

Luke furrowed his brow, frowned and turned before he jogged away.

Noah ran after him until he was right next to him. Luke turned around and went the other way, wanting to get away from Noah. Now he knew why Noah was buttering him up- saying all the things Luke loved to hear.

"Luke! I had control of the situation. I threatened him that if he touched me again, I would use that evidence and call the cops." Noah reached out and spun Luke around. Luke wiggled, wanting to get Noah off him, but he couldn't.

"Listen to me. If it upsets you that much I will tell my boss that I have a conflict of interest with Zachary. She can assign me something else. Please Luke, you're the only one for me. The ONLY one I want."

"Right." Luke said, his imagination running away from him. "You didn't tell me last night or this morning, you told me this afternoon after treating me like a prince so I would have blinders on. Zachary's a gorgeous guy Noah. You work with him. He flirts with you, he touches you, maybe next time you and he will have sex... I don't know."

"LUKE! I have NO desire to be with him!" Noah said loudly, then lowered his voice. "I love you, you know that."

"I remember. I also remember you saying you love me before you let Zachary give you a blow job."

"Why are you bringing that up again? I thought that was resolved. He drugged me!"

"What if he does it again Noah? What if this time he fucks you? What am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing, because it won't happen! Have some faith in me. Jesus Christ Luke! I thought you were gaining trust in me." Noah said, with frustration.

"Where did he touch you--- _Noah_?" Luke looked at Noah as if he were dirty or contaminated from head to toe from Zachary's touch.

"Does it really matter?" Noah asked, embarrassed that Luke would ask or want to know.

"It does if you're going to be honest. So? Should I guess? How about the ass? No? The crotch?"

Noah looked down.

"Ah Ha! We have a winner." Luke said sarcastically. "Nice Noah. You couldn't tell me last night because you wanted to get fucked before you told me. You knew I'd be upset and you didn't know when the next time we'd have sex was." Luke clapped. "Well played Noah. Really, congratulations on making me feel cheap and used."

"It's not like that Luke. You were the one who initiated having sex anyway, remember? Rubbing your crotch against my ass until it was rock hard? Remember reaching into my pants and--"

"Stop it! The fact is, you should have told me. Now I feel like... I don't know. Grrrhhhh! I just hate that Zachary! I hate him! I hate that he's got access to you and he's trying to get into your pants again. I feel so inadequate." Luke said, his anger directed at the model.

Noah wrapped his arm around Luke's shoulders and kissed the side of his head, right above his ear. "I can handle him Luke."

"I hope so. I can't compete with the likes of him. He's relentless." Luke sighed, giving up on being frustrated with Noah.

"There's no competition Luke. I'm totally yours. All of me." Noah nuzzled Luke's neck and kissed it. "Please, lets forget about my ex. He's ruining a beautiful day."

"Ok." Luke said, turning his head and kissing Noah on the lips.


	18. Chapter 18

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 18

RATED: R for sex and language

SUMMARY: Luke gets mail, Kris, who has been spoiled/coddled his whole life, gets angry after he asks a favor of Luke and after Taylor makes an announcement.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

Luke was typing on his computer in his loft when the doorbell rang. He sighed, sat back in his chair and cursed because he didn't want to be disturbed. Ideas had been forming in his head and words flowed with ease to his fingertips onto the keyboard. He reluctantly pushed his chair away from his desk and went downstairs.

Luke saw the mailman when he peeked through the peephole. Puzzled, he opened the door. "Hi." he said, greeting the older gentleman.

"I have your mail." The mailman said, handing over bills and letters for Luke's roommates. "And this," he said, reaching into his bag, "wouldn't fit in the mailbox." He handed over a large yellowish-orange envelope. "Have a great day." the mailman said as he left.

Luke closed the door, reading his name on the envelope. It was labeled "Luke" with his address beneath it. There was no return address. He put the mail on the table and took the envelope upstairs.

_'Who would send me something and not put my last name on it?'_

Luke tore open the envelope with curiosity. He reached in and pulled out pictures of himself in various stages of undress- a couple of him on his bed with his jeans undone and yet another of him in the middle of rubbing himself through his black boxers. He realized they were from the night he had been drunk and let Noah take pictures of him. He dropped them on the desk and covered his mouth.

"Ohmygod, Ohmygod!" he gasped. He grabbed the pictures and had begun to rip them up when he saw a note written in big black letters on the back of one.

**HOLY FUCK LUKE. YOU'RE SO DAMN HOT.  
BET YOUR BOYFRIEND DOESN'T APPRECIATE WHAT HE'S GOT.  
I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED. BREAK UP WITH HIM AND BE WITH ME.  
WHAT DO YOU SAY HANDSOME?**

Luke stood there stunned. _'Break up with Noah? No way. Some weirdo got hold of these pictures somehow. How did they get them? As far as I know, Noah was the only one with copies of these. I better ask him if he knows anything about this.'_

Luke picked up his cell phone and dialed Noah's number and was forwarded to his voice mail.

"Hi Noah. I received something in the mail today and it's pretty disturbing. Please call when you get this message. Bye babe."

Luke sat in the desk at his chair and sighed loudly. Someone had private, personal pictures of him and that unsettled him. He ripped the photos into tiny bits, walked to his bathroom, let go of the pieces and watched them flutter into the toilet, and then he flushed them down.

_'Who in the world would do this? Noah developed them and kept them here.'_ Luke tapped his chin as he thought frantically. _'They weren't on the film that was stolen out of his bag, so how did this person get them? Kris? Taylor? Are they fooling with me? Maybe Noah did this? He has a goofy sense of humor. I bet he did it!! That sneak.'_

Luke laughed out loud and called Noah's cell back. Again he got the voice mail. "Hi babe. You're so cute. Thanks for making me laugh. Don't bother calling back. I know you're busy and we can talk when you get home. Bye." Luke snickered and went back to his desk to type his story.

Much later, Luke's cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Noah, he grinned and answered excitedly, "Hi!"

"Hi Luke. What's this about the mail?" Noah asked while he was on a quick five minute break.

"You know...." Luke snickered.

"No, I don't know." Noah said, "Look, can we talk about this later? What I actually called about, besides wondering what you were talking about, was that I'm doing a night shoot. I talked to my boss and told her about how Zachary and I used to date and I couldn't work with him. Now she's assigned me to the shitty assignments."

Luke bit his lip. "I- I'm really sorry Noah. I didn't know that would happen."

Noah sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he winced, trying to ease the tenseness in his body and in his strained voice. "It's alright. It means that I'll be working late for a few weeks. You ok with that?"

"Yea, as long as Zachary is out of the picture."

"I could have handled him Luke, but what's done is done." Noah snapped, then immediately closed his eyes. "Sorry. I'm just trying to deal here. I love you. See you tonight."

"Love you too Noah." Luke said before closing his phone and setting it on his desk. "This sucks!" he voiced loudly.

~~**~~

"Luuuuke!" Kris walked through the front door, yelling towards the loft. Instead of going up the stairs to knock on the door, he had a habit of yelling at the top of his lungs to get his roommate's attention.

Luke decided to take a break and see what Kris wanted. He opened the door and said, "Come up."

Kris took his shoes off and climbed the stairs. Taking a seat on the bed, he asked cheerfully, "Hi! How are you? How is the writing?"

"It's going great Kris. How are you?" Luke swiveled in his computer chair to face his roommate.

"Great. Listen, Taylor's birthday is coming up, but I don't want to celebrate it ON his birthday- that's too predictable. I want to have a party for him earlier so he'll really be surprised."

"Ok." Luke said, wondering where Kris was going with this because this was the first time he'd heard of it.

"Can we throw a party for him? Can you plan it so he doesn't suspect I'm doing anything? Will you? Please?" Kris pressed his hands together, begging Luke.

"Uh, I don't know, what type of party are you talking about?" Luke asked, uncertain he wanted anything to do with this.

"Just a regular one. Food, cake, um... his friends." Kris snapped his fingers in frustration, trying to think of anything else.

Luke frowned and stated, "I don't know any of his friends. How will I know who to invite?"

Kris grinned sneakily. "Hey! I'll take Taylor's cell phone tonight when he's not looking. You can mess around on it and get everyone's numbers off there."

"Oh, I don't know Kris. I'm a little uncomfortable calling strangers."

"Pleeeeease?" Kris got on his knees on the floor, his eyes wide and pleading. "You have to! I want him to know how much I love him by throwing him a huge party. I want everyone he knows to be here."

"Here? Everyone?" Luke asked with his brows raised. "Oh boy."

"Well, almost everyone. His parents for sure. I haven't met them yet but I'd like to, and the rest of his friends too."

"I guess I can do that." Luke said with a little bit of reserve. "When do you want this to happen?"

"This Saturday?" Kris grinned with excitement. He stood up and sat back down on the edge of the bed, confident that Luke could make this happen. It would be the best party ever!

"What? Jesus Kris. I'm not a miracle worker." Luke protested in a reserved sort of way, "That's not nearly enough time to plan the food and order a cake!"

"I can supply the food. My dad will cater. Just try- for Taylor?" Kris gave Luke the lost puppy/homeless dog look with his lower lip thrust out.

"Ok." Luke said, his voice showing his uncertainty as to whether he could pull this off. He'd have to put off writing his book to make plans for a party now. He'd have to call all of Taylor's friends, get the house ready to accommodate company, buy and put up decorations, buy a gift for Taylor and all the other small details that would make a party fun. Suddenly, the ideas for a successful party were piling up and now he was regretting hosting it. Why couldn't Kris have given him adequate time to think this through instead of springing it on him like this? Kris should have rented one of those convention rooms at a hotel or considered holding the party at some other spacious place, like a park.

Luke took out his phone book and looked up the party store number and rented a helium tank from them. He decided that later in the week, when he was shopping for a gift, he would pick up streamers, balloons, festive paper plates and napkins and plastic utensils.

"Oh damn!" Luke said somewhat loudly. "Alcohol and soda! This is going to cost me a small fortune! Kris better help out-- it's his surprise party after all. Maybe we should get a keg. Yea, that's cheaper, but it may leak and make a mess in my house. Ugh!" he thought about having the party outside at the pool, but alcohol and swimming didn't mix. Besides, there were the other residents to be considerate of. If his grandmother received calls about the noise and disruption, Luke would be hearing from her, and he preferred not to upset her since she'd been so gracious to him throughout his life.

Luke picked up a pen and a sticky note. He began to write a list of what he needed to do and buy. When he was done, he had six sticky notes stuck to the side of his computer. He sighed with the pressure to please Kris weighing on his shoulders. He jogged down the stairs, to the living room, and sat next to Kris on the couch.

Kris smiled at him and turned back to the tv. "Are you going to watch with me?"

"No thank you. I wanted to ask how much money you're planning on contributing for the decorations and liquor." Luke pressed, "If we're going to pull this off, I have calls to make."

Kris turned to face Luke. "I'm taking care of the food. Isn't that enough? You and Noah can split the cost on whatever is left to buy."

"Ok, but you're getting the food for free Kris, and Noah and I are a couple so we shouldn't have to split anything."

Kris pouted and stood up. "Fine. Just forget it. Taylor can have a boring, mundane birthday without a party!" he said, stomping off angrily.

Luke shook his head. He turned the tv off and rose from the couch. He'd let Kris stew a little while before he tried to speak to him again.

Kris slammed the door to his room and flung himself on the bed. The gift he'd bought for Taylor wiped out his savings account. He only had a few hundred in checking, but he couldn't give that to Luke and be totally broke. He had to buy groceries if he wanted to eat and he also needed that money for taxi fares. He couldn't even work at his dad's restaurant to earn enough money by the time Saturday came around. Kris knew he couldn't get an advance on his paycheck because his dad would question what he spent his money on and why he was broke-- even though it was none of his dad's business what he did with his own hard-earned money.

Kris felt like everything was falling apart. He really, really wanted this for his boyfriend. He'd never had a boyfriend before and he didn't want to lose his first one, although he doubted this would make or break a relationship. His wish was to make Taylor's birthday special, very special, and it seemed like things weren't going in his favor.

Luke rifled through the cupboards and the fridge, pulling out ingredients to make a pasta dish for supper. Once everything was laid out on the counter, he walked to Kris's room and knocked on the door.

"Kris? Can you help me with supper please?" Luke asked, with his head down, listening for a reply.

Kris groaned as he turned over on his back.

"Please? It'll give us a chance to talk." Luke implored, staring at the wood grain on the door. He traced the pattern as he waited for the door to open, but it didn't, nor did he get a response.

Luke knocked harder. "Get out here and act like a grown up." Luke said sternly. "Would you want Taylor to get wind of your behavior?"

"Shut up! You locked yourself in your room for two weeks Luke. I've been in here two hours so lay off!"

"No!" Luke yelled back, then eased off. "Look, I know how you feel about Taylor. Come into the kitchen with me and we can work something out, ok?"

Kris sat up on the bed and said, "Fine, but you come in first."

"You mean the door was unlocked....?" Luke asked while he opened the door. He glanced at Kris and walked toward the bed. "I'm sorry. This party seems really important you."

Kris looked at Luke with his big blue eyes and nodded. "It really is Luke."

Luke nodded. He understood, but at the same time, he worried about the money. "Let's just invite a few of Taylor's close friends. That way we won't break anyone's bank."

Kris agreed. He stood up and gave Luke a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you SO much! I think I figured out what to do. I can look up Stephan's number on Taylor's phone and you can call him. He has to know who Taylor's best friends are."

"A few people are from San Marino, I know that." Luke said, remembering when Taylor left to visit his friends, leaving Noah and him alone to get to know each other better.

"Really?"

"Yea." Luke said. "I bet he'd love to see them. I hope Stephan knows them."

"Me too." Kris kiddingly nudged Luke and said, "You said something about dinner?"

~~**~~

Kris was setting the table while Luke finished tossing the salad. He set the bowl full of lettuce, vegetables and dressing aside, then he took the pitcher of Mojitos he'd made earlier out of the refrigerator just as Taylor walked through the front door whistling some happy tune. Taylor's arms circled Kris's waist and lifted him before spinning him around and kissing his neck. He gently let Kris down and beamed, "Guess what?"

"What?" Luke asked, walking from the kitchen to the dining room with two drinks. He put them on the table, one for Kris and one for Taylor, and waited expectantly.

Taylor smiled at Luke, then placed both hands on Kris's face and kissed his lips. "I'm going to Florida tomorrow!"

"What??" Kris asked, stepping out of Taylor's embrace. "Why?"

"They're holding a convention there. Different companies show off the newest products and services for all physical and occupational therapists to use with patients. There are at least a hundred tables with newsletters and brochures that advertise their tools, topical analgesics and everything else I use every day, only updated and 'new and improved'. I can test a shitload of stuff to see if I like it before I buy it. If I do like it, I can order it right there."

"Oh." Kris stared into Taylor's beautiful, overjoyed blue eyes. "So you'll come home tomorrow night?"

"Nope! Saturday night! Three whole days of meeting and greeting and looking. I'm so excited! I can't wait." Taylor said before picking up his drink and sipping it. "Great drink Luke!" he grinned. "Hey, how's that naughty, x-rated, dirty porn book coming along?"

Luke laughed and reddened. "It's coming."

"**I'll bet.**" Taylor said with a devilish smile. "I want the first autographed copy." He turned to Kris and said, "Luke described one of his characters using my body type."

Kris opened his eyes wide and asked Luke loudly, his jealousy flaring up, "He posed for you naked?! When?"

"Oh come on Kris!" Taylor took his hand.

"No!" Luke frowned as he addressed Kris. "I used my imagination."

"Well, you don't have to now. I know you've seen him naked. The other night for instance- and who knows when before that." Kris pulled his hand away from Taylor's grasp. "I'm not hungry." he said before he downed his drink and left the room.

"Luke? How much has he had to drink?" Taylor asked, looking in the direction that Kris stormed off to.

"That was his first. He's been moody all day. I think he's starved for attention." Luke gave Taylor a faint smile.

Taylor rolled his eyes. "I don't know Luke, he's acting so.... immature." he whispered. "I can't take it when he jumps to conclusions and accuses my friends of foul play."

Luke didn't want Taylor and Kris to fight, especially since Kris wanted to surprise him by throwing a party for him. He became nervous and couldn't look Taylor in the eyes. He spoke up, hiding behind his own tall glass of alcohol, "He's young, that's true, but he loves you. He's just jealous.... I think. You should actually be talking to him about this, not me."

"Yea, but dinner...." Taylor motioned to the table. "It's all set up and ready to eat."

"Taylor, do you really want to eat now when Kris is sulk- um, sad?" Luke shook his head because he almost ran off his mouth. "Go and see how he is. I'll wait for you two to come out, then we'll eat."

Taylor ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his hair off his forehead. "AUHHH! I guess I should. What the hell... I'm in a pretty good mood. I can handle his crankiness." he chuckled.

"Change that attitude." Luke warned. "Remember, don't talk down to him. It'll make things so much worse."

Taylor leaned into Luke and said softly, "If he'd act like he trusts me and stops acting so bitchy, I might." Taylor backed away with a wink. "I'll bring him out in a few. Go ahead and start without us."

Luke nodded and sat at the table, served himself and ate slowly with the hopes that Kris and Taylor would make up.

~~**~~

Taylor noticed his bedroom door was closed and peeked inside. Seeing no sign of Kris, he went across the hall and opened the that bedroom door. Kris was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from him.

"Hey kiddo." Taylor said as he walked around the bed and sat next to his boyfriend. "Wanna tell me why you're acting jealous?" he said, running his finger up and down Kris's bare arm.

Kris sighed heavily. A small part of it was about being jealous and the other part was that Taylor was going to be gone for three days. He'd miss his boyfriend.

"You don't **have** to go to Florida, do you?" he asked, his voice rising.

"No, but I want to. Dan and I were asked to go. I could have declined, but Kris, It's like a three day holiday, plus, all expenses are being paid!"

"Wait," Kris held up a finger and turned his whole body to face Taylor. "who is 'Dan'?"

"He works with me. I haven't mentioned him? Hm, I thought I had. Whatever, he's also a therapist and-"

"So... you're going together? Can I come?" Kris asked, meeting Taylor's eyes. Instead of seeing a positive sign in them, he found a negative answer.

"No. The clinic is paying for me and Dan, not our special someones." Taylor remarked, noting that Kris was starting to fume. _'Dammit! Here we go.'_

"Are you... sharing a room?" Kris looked down, narrowed his eyes into slits and kicked one leg back and forth anxiously, panic overtaking him.

"Yes Kris, but don't worry. I love you." Taylor smiled and cupped Kris's chin. He lifted it to move in and kiss his boyfriend, but Kris turned his head just as their lips met.

"No." Kris shook his head.

"Jesus Christ!" Taylor said sharply and loudly. "Kris! What the hell is your problem?"

Kris looked up, seeing the fierce look on Taylor's face. In shock, he sputtered, "Uhh... I..."

"Well?" Taylor asked in a voice that clearly said he was fed up. "Why are you jealous of Luke, and now, Dan too? Don't you know how much it hurts me to think that you don't trust me and that you think I'd do something to harm you or our relationship? That is if we still have one."

Kris bit his trembling lower lip and clasped his hands together worriedly after lowering his head.

"So? You're not going to talk now- huh?" Taylor said angrily before standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "Fine. I'm going out to eat with Luke." Taylor waited for a reaction. When Kris didn't look up or speak, Taylor shook his head in frustration. "So it's going to be like this? Kris, I can't deal with it. I'm getting really sick of your infantile behavior. It's getting old."

Kris finally looked up, crying and reached for Taylor's belt. He clumsily undid it and began on Taylor's slacks.

Taylor took Kris's hands in his own and said, "Stop it."

"B..B..But-"

"No." Taylor said firmly, looking down at Kris's wet face with a look of compassion as he redid his belt. "That would just be a band aid on a bigger problem. Sucking my dick isn't going to repair what's broken."

"Br-Broken?" Kris mumbled as he watched his boyfriend put his belt end though the last loop. He looked up, fearful at what Taylor was about to say and sniffled.

"Yes." Taylor said, meeting Kris's sorrow-filled eyes, "We're having a communication problem and," he waved his arms around. "everything is wonky. I don't know you from one day to the next Kris. I come home, in a good mood because of an opportunity to go to a convention, with pay, and you act like a child- accusing Luke of things he didn't do and this jealousy for Dan is just ridic-"

"Tay-"

"LIKE I said, I'm going to eat. Maybe you should stay in here and figure out what you want. We can talk later, when I'm packing." Taylor said with a low volume to his voice, noticing the devastated look in Kris's eyes. Feeling the need to give his boyfriend some assurance, he smiled and said, "I'm sorry I'm being harsh. Know that I love you, but I really want you to think hard about where we go from here, IF we go anywhere."

Taylor turned and walked around the bed toward the door. Kris stood up and ran to Taylor, wrapping his arms around the taller man, hugging him tight and resting the side of his face against his back. "Don't go, please don't go!" Kris begged.

Taylor had stopped in his tracks when Kris grabbed him. He looked down, seeing Kris's hands clasped together on his stomach, holding on tight. Taylor put his own hands over Kris's and said, "I want to go. Can't you understand that? Dan is a friend. He is no threat to you."

Kris lifted his head and said, "No, I mean right now.... don't go."

Taylor turned in Kris's embrace and asked with an arched eyebrow. "Why?"

Kris's gaze met Taylor's eyes, then drifted to his tantalizing lips. "I want to trust you, but you're so attractive that I'm afraid I'll lose you to the next guy that smiles at you."

Taylor laughed, then stopped when he saw the hurt look on Kris's fallen face. "Listen," he lifted Kris's chin. "I'm not planning on going anywhere. I know we literally hooked up one night quite a few months ago, then a few weeks later became boyfriends and said 'I love you' to each other, but seriously Kris, I DO love you. Maybe you don't know what that is yet. You know, you haven't had your heart broken by other boyfriends and I have. I know how it feels to want someone with every cell in my body. I know what it's like to have my heart ripped out and stomped on too. You're not old enough or experienced enough to know-"

Kris put his hands on Taylor's shoulders and said, "I know about heartache Taylor! I know what it's like to have my heart ripped out. When you kept pushing me away, telling me to get lost, using me, and then ignoring me the day after I spent the night. I went through so much, but I took all the shit you threw at me because I knew I loved you and I was determined to make you see that. I know what love is, so don't play the 'you're too young to know what love is' card with me unless you want me to play the 'you're too old to remember what love is' card with you."

Taylor raised his brows high. "Is that what you think? I'm too old?" a slight smile drew Taylor's mouth up.

"No." Kris said embarrassedly. "I was making a point."

Taylor sighed and nodded. "Some very good points."

"Can we just kiss and make up?" Kris pleaded with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Please?" he pursed his lips, tempting Taylor.

Taylor licked his lips and looked heatedly into Kris's eyes. He said, breathlessly, "Yea." as he put his hand at the back of Kris's head to move him closer. He placed tender kisses on Kris's face, working his way to his boyfriend's delicious lips, then opened his mouth partway and covered Kris's mouth with his own.

Luke had another drink and moved his pasta around his plate with his fork as he thought.

_'I do trust Noah. I don't trust Zachary. I hate that Noah has to work late at night because of me. I miss him. When are we ever going to see each other besides on weekends? Maybe I shouldn't have told him what to do. It is his job, not mine, and he said he could handle his ex. But that piece of shit touched Noah's crotch. What do I do? I want Noah to do what he wants to do regarding work, but I don't want him around Zachary- the asshole. No, I have to tell Noah to do what he wants to do. I don't want him to resent me for _**making**_ him take assignments he's not passionate about. I'll tell him when he gets home, whenever that is.'_

Luke chuckled after hearing Kris and Taylor's grunts and passionate curses.

_'Guess that's one way to make up.'_

Deciding he was done eating, Luke rose and carried his plate to the kitchen, scraping the food on his plate into the garbage.

"OW! Taylor! Don't bite!" Kris yelled loudly, prompting Luke to giggle.

"You love it and you know it, you little shit. You like... UH!... it rough and... OHGOD!.... Ohh... Kris!"

"Harder!" Kris yelled hoarsely.

Luke became warm all over from hearing his roommates. He missed Noah even more now. He covered the food at the table with saran wrap and went to the living room to watch tv. It wasn't much later that Luke became drowsy with the alcohol he'd consumed with his dinner. He fell asleep on the couch and didn't hear Taylor or Kris come out later to eat. He didn't hear Noah come home either.

The first thing Noah saw when he walked in the front door, was Luke laying on the couch, his face illuminated by the music video playing on the television. He set his equipment on the floor and tip-toed to Luke. He smiled at his boyfriend before getting on his knees and kissing his Luke's to wake him.

Luke's arms instinctively wrapped around Noah's neck as his eyes fluttered open. He grinned and said with his voice laced with sleep, "Hi Noah."

Noah pressed his face into the space between Luke's shoulder and neck. He breathed deeply through his nose and sighed happily. "God I've missed you."

"I missed you too." Luke said before lifting Noah's head up to look him in the eye. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. Everything went wrong. No one was on time and they were all running around frantically like headless chickens! The only thing keeping me sane, was thinking that I had to stay calm because the sooner we finished, the sooner I could come home to you." Noah smiled, gently touching his warm lips to Luke's soft, shapely ones. Luke pulled Noah closer, deepening and roughening the kiss. When their tongues were tired and their lips were red, they separated.

"Want me to carry you to bed?" Noah asked sweeping Luke's hair back as he gazed into his smiling eyes.

"Mm, no." Luke grinned. "But lets go up together." Luke stood up, then pulled Noah back by the arm. "Hey, did you eat? I made supper, but by now it's probably gross."

"The shoot was catered by some sub shop. I'm fine." Noah replied. "But thank you, you're so considerate."

"Sometimes." Luke walked to the stairs to the loft and turned his head. "Not all the time."

"Is that right?" Noah said teasingly with a seductive undertone.

"Yup." Luke said as he opened the bedroom door and entered the room, followed by Noah. "Take tonight for instance," He began to undress Noah. "I want you."

"I want you too." Noah's breath hitched as Luke's fingers playfully tugged at his nipples.

"No, I'll make it clearer for you." Luke said, unblinking. "I want your dick in my ass Noah. Is **that** clear?" he smiled for Noah's benefit.

Noah's mouth opened to release a moan. "Ohhh shit yes." he said, feeling Luke pushing his pants and briefs down. Luke slowly rose from the floor, licking his way back up Noah's body, leaving a hot, scandalous kiss on the tip of Noah's cock, eventually his lips coming to rest on his boyfriend's mouth.

"Ohh,Luke,Luke... Luke-" Noah whispered, his breath coming out in gasps while his fingers fumbled blindly to unbutton Luke's shirt.

"Yes, that's it." Luke panted, letting his head fall back. "Rip it off." he stated with impatience. "Just tear it off."

Noah grabbed fistfuls of Luke's shirt and pulled in opposite directions. The sound of the buttons popping off and the noise of fabric ripping filled the air.

"God Luke, that was crazy hot!." Noah growled and attacked his boyfriend's neck. "You really wanna get dicked up the ass don't you."

"UHMM!" Luke exclaimed and cupped Noah's ass, kneading it, pulling his boyfriend's naked body closer to his own. "My jeans Noaa...ahh--" He squeezed Noah's ass hard before backing away to undress.

"Let me." Noah smiled just before he pounced on Luke and tackled him to the bed. "Ah Ha! Got you!" he said, gazing down on his lover.

"It's not like you had to put that much effort into it. I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Luke said as he giggled and ran his hand over Noah's pecs.

"Mmmmm--" Noah moaned. He put his hand over Luke's hand, puffing his chest out to feel Luke's warm hand on his body. It caused the fire under Luke's hand to spread and radiate throughout Noah's body.

Luke looked into Noah's impassioned eyes and smiled. "Make me feel good Noah."

Noah watched the words drip like syrup from Luke's mouth and bent over his face. With a deep seductive voice, he spoke, "I wanna make you feel naughty." as his lips covered Luke's mouth.

"Nnng... Noah. My pants. Take them off." Luke gasped with excitement, raising his hips so Noah could unbutton and unzip Luke's jeans. Luke trembled with eagerness, waiting for Noah to reveal the alert lower half of his body.

Noah pulled Luke's jeans down slowly- past his creamy white hips, exposing Luke's erection and nuts. He stopped and stared for a moment, then continued undressing Luke. He pulled the jeans over his light hair covered thighs, then past his knees and muscular calves. He tossed them haphazardly across the room before descending on Luke's lips again, running his tongue seductively between Luke's lips.

Luke moaned, opening his mouth to Noah's penetrating tongue, adding dimension to their kiss. The play of Noah's tongue in Luke's mouth caused Luke to arch his back, pressing his chest to Noah's, urging Noah to feed his need, his hunger. "Uh, Noah-"

Noah's gaze sank into Luke's, seeing the glint of arousal in Luke's eyes set him on fire. He was barely able to breath. Luke parted his mouth further and raked Noah's shapely lips tenderly with his teeth, the need showing in his darkened brown eyes.

"Please play with me." Luke said with an entrancing smile.

Noah retrieved the lube, a strawberry flavored one that he'd picked up. He inserted an agile finger into Luke before kissing him again. Without ceasing the attention on Luke's hole, he kissed his way to Luke's neck.

"Noah... god... feels... UH!" Luke grunted when Noah began to suck the area below his ear, simultaneously entering a second finger next to the first and scissoring them. Luke instinctively latched on to Noah. "More, more, more."

"More fingers?"

"No. Need **you**. Now." Luke breathed, clawing at Noah's back. "Hurry babe. Hot and hard." he closed his eyes and felt Noah between his thighs.

He craved the weight of Noah bearing down on him, against his body-- his searing erection searching for his contracting entrance. A fury of ecstasy burst within Luke, feeling Noah's cock gliding in and out slowly. Suddenly, Noah pounded, drove and thrust inside him, moaning. "Luuuke... Uhhhh, Luuuke....."

"Nooahh," Luke gasped, feeling his boyfriend push deeper, making love to him vigorously. "I can't hold back." he said, biting on his luscious lower lip in an attempt to prolong their passionate act of sex. He tightened his legs around Noah, pulling him in. In a low throaty voice, Luke moaned, grabbed himself and started stroking rapidly.

"Ohhhh..." Noah looked down and sighed. "I love watching your hand work your dick. Faster Luke."

Luke gazed into Noah's eyes. His chest rising and falling fast as he neared release. "Oh God..." he murmured before he erupted on Noah's chest. Luke's climax escalated, enhancing Noah's release. Sweat and cum dripped on Luke from Noah's chest and face. He didn't care, he pulled Noah down and kissed him.

"Thanks." Luke said between hard breaths, but Noah was too out of breath to say a word. He nodded and licked his parched lips before he laid next to Luke. He took Luke's hand and kissed it, then they just lay there, ratted and heaving with each inhalation- the fire inside them quenched for the time being.


	19. Chapter 19

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 19

SUMMARY: Taylor leaves for Florida, Luke and Kris plan the party for Taylor. Fluff.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

No Beta- All Mistakes Are My own.

Noah and Luke were sitting at the dining room table, waiting for Kris. He was in the kitchen making breakfast for the four of them while Taylor was busy getting dressed after taking his shower.

"Oh God! Noah, help me!" Kris whispered loudly so Taylor wouldn't hear. "Make the toast. Please?" he begged.

Noah wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare, not after the hissy fit Kris had when he thought everyone was teasing him about being too young and incapable.

Luke came into the kitchen and helped as well. He knew Kris wanted Taylor's goodbye breakfast to be good.

"He's coming, go sit down." Kris uttered in a low voice when he heard the bathroom door open, then Taylor singing 'Rocket Man' by Elton John. Kris watched his two roommates leave the kitchen area and take seats at the table.

"Hiya everyone!" Taylor said in an upbeat voice with his suitcase in his hand and his carry on bag over his shoulder. "How are you all?"

"Good, great and fine." were the collective answers.

"Well," Taylor said setting his things on the floor near the kitchen, "I'm fantastic! I can't wait to get away- no offense kiddo." He entered the kitchen and grabbed Kris around the waist and kissed him on the side of his neck.

"Uhhh...mmm... Taylor..." Kris managed to get out before his boyfriend began sucking on his neck vigorously.

"Ahhhhh!" Kris gasped loudly when Taylor bit his skin and sucked even harder. He tapped Taylor on the back and felt his boyfriend let up- justa little.

Luke and Noah snickered as silently as they could while their stomachs growled.

"Just (_kiss_) need to (_kiss_) mark my (_kiss_) territory." Taylor said, kissing Kris on the tip of his nose after leaving a large bruise on Kris's neck.

Kris put his hand over the wetness on his neck and smiled as their eyes exchanged a look of love.

Kris rose up on his tip toes, because Taylor was even taller with his shoes on, and latched onto the skin under Taylor's ear.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Taylor placed his hands on Kris's hips and gently eased him down. "Someone will see that. I have to look professional."

"Oh! So it's ok for me to have one, but not you?" Kris grumbled.

"It's different Kris."

"I'm starving." Luke entered the kitchen rubbing his stomach after hearing Kris trying to start an argument with Taylor.

Taylor smiled at Luke and said, "Did Kris tell you? He wants to start college next month."

Noah stepped into the spacious kitchen behind Luke, encircling Luke's waist with his arms. Happily, he said, "That's great Kris. What classes are you taking?"

Kris became distracted and forgot about the argument he almost started with Taylor. He turned and said proudly, "Well, I have to apply at the technical college first, then-"

Luke reached behind himself and grabbed Noah's crotch. After hearing Noah's gasp of delight in his ear, he chuckled and said to Kris, "You'll get in. You don't need SAT or ACT scores for that type of school."

Kris nodded as the look in his eyes turned pensive. "Yea.... that is good cuz I'm an idiot."

Noah reached down and pulled Luke's hand off his hardening member with the relief that no one could see it because Luke was standing directly in front of him. He said to Kris, "You're not an idiot. What are you going to do? Feel sorry for yourself or do something about it?"

"Yea Kris. No one is saying you're an idiot but you." Taylor held Kris's, hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissed it. "You're going to go to school and you're going to graduate in 2 years. You'll earn your diploma and get a job- that's not idiotic."

"What job?" Luke asked, replacing his hand on Noah's body, feeling the hardness grow stiffer beneath the palm of his hand as he rubbed Noah's cock suggestively.

Noah whispered near Luke's ear, "Stop that. I have to leave soon."

"I was thinking child care or something?" Kris looked at Taylor to see his reaction.

"A babysitter?" Taylor said a little too loudly. Luke and Noah cleared their throats and stared at Kris.

"No..." Kris stated with the feeling of humiliation cloud his mood. "I could get a degree in childcare management. Like.... I'd be a trained manager to run a daycare facility." he paused, looked down and muttered, "Forget it. I don't want to do that."

"What do you want to do?" Luke asked, while continuing to fondle Noah through his jeans.

"Guys, I have to leave in..." Taylor said, checking his watch. "20 minutes. Can we eat and talk about this another time?"

"Ok." Kris mumbled and took breakfast to the table.

Taylor took the plate of toast and Luke reached for the juice.

"Nuh-Uh mister." Noah pulled Luke back to face him. "What are you going to do about this?" he arched his eyebrow as he glanced downward at his own bulging crotch and back up at Luke.

Luke giggled and shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, I think you do, **Luke**." Noah smiled seductively at his boyfriend. "There's pre-fuck all over my underwear."

Luke covered his mouth to stop the laughter that wanted to burst forth. He raised himself on his toes and looked over Noah's shoulder at Taylor and Kris. They were eating and talking. Luke glanced back at Noah and winked as he licked his lips and lowered his heels to the floor. "Pre-fuck huh? Sounds delicious. Can I get some of that?" he smiled.

Noah didn't waste anytime. He grabbed Luke's hand and passed the table on the way to the loft. "Bye Taylor, have a good trip. See ya when you get home." he said quickly without looking in Taylor's direction.

"Have fun in Florida!" Luke called out after Noah yanked on his arm to get him to hurry up.

Noah pulled Luke into the bedroom and kicked the door shut. He put his hands on Luke's chest and pushed him down on the bed. "What's it going to be Snyder?"

Luke raised himself to a sitting position and gulped as he watched Noah push his pants down. His stomach somersaulted when he saw the glistening, red head of Noah's cock bobbing before him.

"Let me suck it out of you." Luke said, mesmerized by Noah's dick.

Noah held Luke's head, smiled and thrust his hips forward. "Go for it." he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Better open wide, it's been a while and it's going to be more than a mouthful."

Luke's eyes shone as he slowly parted his lips and wet his bottom lip with his tongue.

[|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|]

Kris carried the suitcase to the door while Taylor slung his carry on bag onto his shoulder and followed.

Kris stayed unusually quiet as they walked to Taylor's car. After placing his belongings in the trunk, Taylor turned to Kris and gave him a big smile.

Kris tried to smile back, but just one corner of his mouth raised slightly. Suddenly he burst into tears, causing Taylor to pull his boyfriend close. "Shh- shh- shh," He quietly whispered in Kris's ear. "I'll be back before you know it." Taylor kissed Kris's ear and swayed with him- trying to calm him down.

Kris sobbed louder without a care in the world about who heard him. "Th-three d-d-days is too long!"

Taylor's hand weaved through Kris's hair in an attempt to calm down his crying boyfriend. Kris laid the side of his head against Taylor's shoulder and wiped his eyes free from tears. However, others quickly replaced them. His body began to shake and tremble uncontrollably.

"Hey kiddo," Taylor said sympathetically, "Luke will be here. You can rely on him. At least you'll have someone to do things with and you won't be all alone. Right?" Taylor cupped Kris's chin and raised it.

"I don't want to talk to Luke. I want you here. I don't want you to leave me." Kris said in a quiet voice as he gazed into Taylor's blue eyes.

Taylor sighed. He didn't want to leave Kris in emotional agony, but he had to leave, pick up Dan and head to the airport if he was going to be on time.

"Kris," he said, holding his blond-headed boyfriends face in his hands. "You're a strong guy. Now I know that for a fact. I also know you can handle this. I promise to call you each night. Ok?"

Kris looked at Taylor through his tear filled eyes and shrugged. "I.... don't... know." he said between gasps of breath. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too." Taylor said with a small smile as he neared Kris's mouth. He pressed his lips against his boyfriend's lips and persuaded Kris to part them to tenderly tongue his mouth.

Kris felt the ache of loneliness when Taylor's tongue slowly slipped from his mouth. His body tensed up, readying itself from being separated from his lover and boyfriend.

Taylor glanced at his watch and looked back up again. "I'm sorry. I have to get going." He said before pecking Kris on the lips one last time. "I'll see you Saturday night, around 8pm." he said, walking around the car to the drivers side. Once there, he noticed that Kris was frozen to the spot where he'd left him. "Come over here." he said, motioning with a finger.

Kris stepped heavily to the other side of the car and stared at his own feet, unable to meet Taylor's eyes.

"Yea?" he mumbled, stuffing his hands into his back pockets.

"I love you." Taylor said, grabbing Kris into a hug.

Kris wrapped his arms around Taylor and sank into his body. "I love you too Taylor. I want you to have fun. Don't worry about me." he said, not really meaning it.

"It'll be ok kiddo." Taylor said into Kris's blond hair as he kissed his head. "Go on now." He patted Kris's butt before he opened his car door and got in.

Kris watched Taylor's every move as he teared up again He waved and watched his boyfriend's car disappear before he sunk to the curb. He crossed his arms, put them on his knees and lowered his head onto his forearms, and wept.

Noah strode outside with his camera and equipment, heading for his truck. He first heard Kris crying before he saw him and quickly went back inside to fetch Luke.

"I have to leave and Kris is out there crying. Can you go to him?" He told Luke.

"Oh no! Of course." Luke said worriedly as he followed Noah outside. They both stopped on either side of Kris. Luke sat down while Noah squatted and put an arm around Kris.

"I'm really sorry Kris, but I have to go to work." Noah said with care and concern.

Kris looked up and hugged Noah. "I know. Go ahead."

"Let Luke take care of you." Noah said, looking at Luke. "Luke, thanks for the.... ahem."

Luke knew what Noah was insinuating. He chuckled and said, "No problem... the pleasure was all mine. Have a good day at work."

"I'll see you both later." Noah said as he stood up and left in his truck.

Luke looked at the side of Kris's face, seeing the tears streak down his cheeks. He knew exactly how Kris felt because he had felt the same way when he broke up with Noah months ago. The loneliness and grief of losing someone, whether you broke up or he went away for a few days, was equally hard. At least Kris had the consolation of knowing that Taylor was coming back to him Saturday night.

Luke pulled Kris's body closer and said, "I know what will take your mind off Taylor for a while. Let's go and plan that party. You did get Stephan's number off Taylor's cell phone, didn't you?"

Kris let a small sob out, then nodded. "I did. When he went to sleep after we... made love."

Luke helped Kris walk to the door. While Kris retrieved the number, Luke started clearing the breakfast dishes off the table and loaded the dishwasher. When he was done, he wondered why Kris hadn't come out of the bedroom yet. Determined to get Kris out of his depressed state of mind, he walked down the hall with purpose. Knocking on Taylor's bedroom door, he said a little loudly, "Kris, let me in. We have to call these people today if you want them here Saturday night."

"Ok." was Kris's response. "Come in."

Luke opened the door to see Kris in bed with the blankets pulled up to his neck. Luke scratched the back of his head, feeling pretty sure that he wasn't going to get any help from the mourning blond.

"Where's the number?"

Kris pointed to the pants he'd taken off before he got into bed. "In the pocket."

Luke got the number and took his cell phone out of his pocket before he sat at the edge of Taylor's bed. He punched in Stephan's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Stephan asked with curiosity, not recognizing Luke's number.

"Stephan? This is Luke Snyder, Taylor's roommate." Luke closed his eyes, hoping Stephan remembered him.

"Oh yea, Kyle Evans!" Stephan said excitedly.

Luke chuckled. "Yup."

"What's up? Did you break up with that tall, handsome hunk... because I'm single." Stephan joked.

"No." Luke rolled his eyes at Kris, but the blond just stared at him without any emotion.

"Too bad. So what can I do for you? Need inspiration for your the book you're writing?" he asked, then stated in a more serious, professional tone, "I'm just kidding Luke. It's a pleasure to hear from you. What can I do for you?"

Luke gave Kris the thumbs up sign as he spoke, "As you may or may not know, Taylor's birthday is coming up and Kris would like to throw him an early birthday party to surprise him."

"Yea I know. The big 27. I'm so glad Kris got him to settle down. Taylor is so happy whenever I talk to him." Stephan commented.

Luke stifled a short laugh. He didn't have the heart to say anything in front of Kris about his jealousy regarding Taylor and other men.

"Yes he is happy." Luke said and added, "So, back to the party. Kris wants to hold it here on Saturday. What I need is a list of Taylor's closest friends and parents, including any siblings."

"Oh." Stephan said. "Well I know most of his friends. I can call them myself and let you know if they're able to make it. As for his parents or family, I have no clue. The subject has never come up, but I know he grew up around the San Marino area. I'm sure they'd be in the phone book. Want me to call them?"

"No, I will. Thanks a bunch for offering to call his friends."

"They're my friends too. It's no problem." Stephan said politely. "What time on Saturday?"

"If everyone can be here just before 8pm that would be great." Luke said appreciatively. "Including you."

"Alright. I'll call on my lunch break and get back to you later this afternoon or tonight."

"Cool! Heres the address..."

"Ok." Stephan laughed. "Talk to you later."

"Bye." Luke grinned and closed his phone. He looked at Kris again and said, "Stephan will call Taylor's friends. We just have to look up Taylor's parents in the phone book and see if they can come." He patted Kris's hip and stood up. "Why don't you come with me and we'll call together?"

Kris let out a groan. Despite wanting to stay in Taylor's bed to indulge in smelling his boyfriend's scent, he sat up and got out of bed.

Luke noticed Kris was wearing an over-sized button down blue shirt that had to belong to Taylor and briefs. He shook his head, hoping Kris wasn't going to be in mourning until Saturday. "Come with me." he said and led the way to the kitchen to get the phone book.

Luke ran his finger down the page looking for P-a-t-t-. He stopped on Taylor's last name and grimaced. "There's three Patterson's here."

Kris's mind had wandered back in time to last night when Taylor made love to him. He wished Taylor hadn't gone to Florida. Insecurities began to rise in him. He wondered if Taylor would pick up an attractive guy and have sex with him. (Since Kris would never find out about it.) He didn't like not knowing what his boyfriend was doing at any given time. Then he wondered if Taylor would sleep with Dan or if Dan would make a move on Taylor.

He began to speak in a nervous tone, "Luke, what if Tay-"

Luke proposed, "How about you call two on your cell and I'll call the other one?"

Kris glanced at Luke, his problems disappearing for the moment. "Huh?"

"I said, get your phone. You can call these two Patterson's and I'll call the other one." Luke replied, pushing the phone book at Kris.

" 'Kay." Kris said and left to get his phone while Luke dialed a number.

"Hello?" A young voice asked, too young, Luke thought.

"Hi. I'm wondering if you know Taylor Patterson? I'm trying to reach his parents."

"Taylor Patterson? Um, no I don't, sorry." the female said.

"Ok, thanks anyway. Bye." Luke said, looking up at Kris and giggled at something he just thought of.

"What?" Kris asked. "Share."

"Taylor's initials. T.P." Luke laughed louder.

Kris giggled. "I never thought of that before. That is funny. OH! His middle name! It's Oakes. Taylor Oakes Patterson. T.O.P., and it's the truth- he's my top. I wonder if your initials make you who you are. What are yours?"

Luke laughed. "Well, by my birth name it would be L.E.G." he snickered. "But with the name I go by it would be L.E.S."

"You do have nice legs. I mean, you know." Kris ducked his head. "I notice when you wear shorts. For the record, I'm don't stare at your body. It literally was an observation. I prefer Taylor's legs. I should shut up. What are Noah's initials?"

"Ehm, N.A.M.- boring." Luke shrugged then lit up, "Hey! Backwards it's MAN. And he's ALL man! What are yours?"

"K.R.S.- and don't say a word. My parents are lame." Kris looked up and saw a big smirk on Luke's face.

"Kris, K.R.S. That's just funny." Luke snickered, trying to hide his amusement. "What is your middle name?"

"Remington." Kris licked his lips and grimaced.

"What? Your parents...."

"My mom had a thing for that show and Pierce Bronson. I can't help it." Kris blushed.

"Kris Remington Steele? Oh my god! Kris! That is so frigging funny!! How can you not laugh at that?" Luke held his stomach, laughing.

"Jeez, it's not that funny." Kris muttered.

"Yea, it is." Luke's laughter died down. "Oh man...." he let out one last chuckle and pointed to the phone book. "Let's get back to work."

Kris phoned the next number. After listening to the phone on the other end ring four times, a woman answered politely.

Kris took a breath. He didn't know what to say. This could be Taylor's mother he was talking to. He felt very nervous. Luke tapped Kris on the shoulder and got his attention.

"Hello??" the woman asked again.

Luke nodded at Kris and smiled. Kris wet his lips and nodded back.

"Hello. I'm trying to find Taylor Patterson's parents." Kris said shyly.

"This is his mother, Tess. Who is this?" she asked with eagerness.

Kris replied hesitantly, "I'm.... I'm... my name is Kris."

"How do you know my son?" she asked suspiciously, wondering if this was a prank because this young person was stuttering and unsure of himself.

"Uhhh...." Kris glanced at Luke with a scared look on his face.

Once again, Luke nodded, then nudged Kris's arm gently.

Kris answered, "I'm his.... um, roommate and.... er... boyfriend." then he realized he may have 'outed' Taylor to his mother. What if Taylor's family didn't know? He hung his head and rubbed his forehead with his unoccupied hand.

Tess sighed and asked, "How is he? What is he up to?"

"Um, he's fine. He's on a side trip for work right now."

"Oh?" Tess stated.

"Yes." Kris said, smiling and getting back to the reason he called. "So, I was wondering... since Taylor's birthday is coming up, would you and your husband be interested in coming to a party for him? It's this Saturday around 8pm."

"I would love to! I'll have to ask Taylor's father, Grant, if he'll come. If not, I'll be there either way. Would you mind if I brought my sister, Catherine? Taylor was very close to her. She made a big impact on his life and was a very big influence on him." Tess answered with a smile in her voice.

Kris felt much better. "Of course! This is great! I'm really excited to meet you and his father and his aunt."

"I am as well Kris. Have you been together long?" she asked with interest.

"It feels like a really short time, but it's been almost five months now." Kris beamed, proud that he and Taylor had made it this long because it was his first relationship.

"Aw, I can't wait until Saturday." Tess said happily. "See you then Kris."

"Bye Mrs. Patterson." Kris said.

"Tess."

"Ok, bye Tess." Kris replied and hung up. He glanced at Luke and hugged him. "Thanks! She's going to come and bring her sister too. Taylor's dad may or may not come, but it doesn't matter. Taylor is going to be so surprised and happy!" he grinned widely as he pulled away from Luke. "Thanks for getting me out of bed to do this. I feel better knowing that I'm doing something for Taylor. He's going to have a great time." Kris playfully pushed Luke's shoulder.

"Ow!" Luke said teasingly, rubbing his shoulder.

"Wimp." Kris laughed.

"Ha! Why don't you get dressed. I'll drive us around and we can pick up the party stuff today."

Kris's mood dramatically changed. "Yea! I can help pick out everything. This will be so cool hanging out with you!"

**meanwhile at GQ**.........

"Oh Noaaah..." Zachary's voice sing-songed his exs name as he walked up behind him in the hallway.


	20. Chapter 20

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 20

SUMMARY: Zachary is himself (a tool), Luke gets more mail, and Kris talks to Taylor over the phone

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

* * *

"Oh Noaaah..." Zachary's voice sing sang his exes name as he walked up behind Noah in the hall.

Noah stopped and closed his eyes to compose himself. He slowly turned around and muttered, "What?"

"Nice ass babe. It always was one of my favorite places to eat." Zachary laughed and placed his hand on Noah's chest, rubbing it seductively.

Noah's face reddened as he brought Zachary's hand down. He asked impatiently, "What is it that you want? I don't have the time or patience to deal with you right now."

"Noaaah..." Zachary smiled with his perfectly straight, white teeth and a sparkle in his eyes. His dark hair was combed and styled- passing perfection.

Noah could appreciate Zachary's beauty, but not his asinine behavior. He was always a tease, but this went way beyond just flirting.

"For God's sake Zack! Just fucking spit it out!" Noah muttered angrily.

Zachary looked around and came close to Noah. "Want to head into the broom closet? I'll give you a hummer you won't forget." He ran a finger along Noah's jaw as he licked his lips, trying to get Noah to bite. "I won't tell whatsis name."

"Whatsis name is Luke and you know it. My answer is a vehement no. I've already had a 'hummer' today that I will never forget." Noah said with his brows furrowed and a frown accompanying his look of disdain. "I asked you not to touch me Zack. I'd like for you to respect my wishes."

"Fine." Zachary pouted and took a small step backwards. "So.... is he any good?"

Noah smiled politely at a woman who passed them in the hall, then whispered, "It's really none of your business. Now if you'll excuse me?" Noah began to walk around Zachary, but was stopped by a strong grip on his forearm.

"Wait." Zachary said with a pleading sound in his voice. "I need your help. Please?"

"Arrg... what is it?" Noah squeezed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.

Zachary smiled and said, "This photographer that has been taking my picture is an amateur. I can't work with him! He's impossible and he doesn't have a clue what he's doing. I need you."

Noah chuckled sarcastically. "You don't need me Zack." he shook his head.

"I do!" Zachary said loud enough for the people passing by to stare. He whispered, "I do Noah. You're the only one that can capture the real me on film and make me shine. You're a professional and you know the best poses for me. You know me. You get me."

Noah rubbed his face with both hands. "Ahh, I can't. I made a promise to Luke."

"What promise? Does this have anything to do with why you got reassigned?" Zachary put his hands on his hips and leaned forward. He was eye to eye with Noah, challenging him.

"Yes. That has a tiny part to do with it." Noah admitted.

"Jesus Noah! What the fuck? HE tells you what you can and can't do at work? Where are your balls man? You need to put that loser in his place. Tell him he's depriving you of doing what you enjoy." Zachary shook his head and tsked. "You shouldn't have to compromise Noah. You really shouldn't."

Noah pointed a finger at Zachary and tapped the model's chest with it. "You know nothing about Luke. I did this for him because you can't be trusted."

"Sooo... you don't trust me either? I mean, it's obvious HE doesn't because he's an insecure little pri-."

"Zack, just drop it. I'm not going to photograph you and that's that."

"God Noah. It's just one shoot, here in the studio, and I'll be fully dressed. There's going to be other people there. The make up lady for one. C'mon... just this once?"

Noah just wanted Zachary to go away so he agreed to be done with it, "Fine. When?"

Zachary let out a self satisfied sigh. "Now. Let's go... babe."

"Enough of the babe shit. I'm not your babe. Let's get this over with." Noah said, walking alongside Zachary. He quickly stopped to grab his camera bag and followed his ex to the studio.

~~**~~

Hours later, Kris and Luke were headed home with the car filled with party supplies. Luke helped Kris pick out a couple of gag birthday gifts at the sex shop aptly named "Good Vibrations".

"I can't wait until he comes home." Kris said becoming depressed- clutching his bag tightly to his chest.

"I know, but just think," Luke glanced at him. "he's going to come home to a houseful of friends to celebrate his birthday. It's gonna be awesome."

"I know. I just really miss him. I don't want to sleep alone tonight. It's going to be lonely." Kris said, staring down and biting his lip to keep from tearing up.

Luke joked, "You can always sleep between Noah and I. We'll keep you comfy and cozy."

"Right." Kris said, his voice deepening. "If you were serious, I might take you up on the offer. You guys are upstairs and I'm downstairs alone."

"Don't tell me your afraid! Are you?" Luke asked.

"A little. I mean I've always been around someone when I slept. At home, my parents bedroom was just across the hall from mine."

"Hm," Luke hummed, tapping on his chin. "Noah and I can sleep in your old bedroom across from you. How's that?"

Kris perked up. "Would you really?" he faced Luke with a shocked expression on his face. This would be too good to be true.

"No problem. Just through Friday night." Luke smiled and patted Kris's leg.

"Whew! Cool. I'm stoked now." Kris grinned. His cell phone rang as he was about to say something else. Looking at the screen of the phone, he yelled, "It's Taylor!"

"HI!" Kris said into the phone.

Taylor smiled, "It's so good to hear your voice. I miss you kiddo."

Kris whimpered and said, "Me too! God you sound good. I mean it's good to hear from you. Where are you?"

"Walking thought the airport to get our bags." Taylor answered.

"Over there Tay."

"Who is that?" Kris asked when he heard another voice over the phone. He wondered why someone would call Taylor, 'Tay'.

"Dan. I told you he was accompanying me." Taylor said, holding the phone closer to his ear and plugging the other ear as a group of rowdy teens ran past him, screaming happily.

"Why does he call you that?" Kris asked, sneaking a glance at Luke, then cupping the part of the phone he was speaking into.

"He just does Kris. Want me to tell him not to?" Taylor asked with his eyes narrowed, scanning the baggage claim area for his suitcase.

"No... yes... no. I don't care." Kris waffled. "It sounds like an intimate name to call someone."

Taylor sighed loudly into the phone. "Kris I-"

"Don't say it. I'm fine. I'll get over it." Kris spilled his guts as he started to cry, " I miss you so much! I'm afraid you won't come back to me, that you'll find someone else, that you'll fall out of love with me!"

Luke pulled into a lot filled with cars and found an empty place to park. He turned off the car and took Kris's free hand. "It's alright Kris."

"Is that Luke?" Taylor asked, "Let me talk to him."

"But-" Kris was about to protest.

"Please Kris." Taylor stated warmly, but in a serious manner.

"Ok." Kris said before handing the phone over to Luke. "He wants to talk to you." He watched Luke carefully.

"Yes Taylor?" Luke asked, glancing at Kris, who was just sniffling now.

"Is he alright? Should I come home?" Taylor asked worriedly.

Luke cleared his throat and opened the car door. He said, "One minute." to Kris and exited the car for privacy. After he shut the door he spoke into the phone. "No, don't cancel your trip. He's just sad. I'm keeping him busy. We're at a restaurant about to eat a late lunch."

"Well," Taylor scratched his head. He interrupted his own thought to say to his colleague, "That's mine Dan. Will you grab it?" as he pointed to his suitcase.

"Sure." Dan replied.

Taylor's focus returned back to Luke. "What was I saying? Oh, is he going to be trouble for you and Noah? Maybe I should have paid for a plane ticket for him to come along. Shit, this is fucked up."

"No it's not. He has to do this Taylor. He's not a baby you need to mother. It'll be healthy for him in the long run. How many twenty-one year olds do you know that are dependent on their parents and boyfriends like he is?" Luke turned, leaned down and looked into the car. Kris gave a slight wave to him. Luke waved back and grinned, then made the 'ok' sign with his finger and thumb.

"I don't know any twenty-one year olds Luke. Just him."

"In my opinion, he's spoiled. He won't even sleep downstairs alone. Noah and I will take his old room until you return."

"Are you shitting me?" Taylor asked as he put his fingers through the handle of his suitcase and picked it up. He began walking alongside Dan, headed to the car rental counter.

"No, I'm not kidding. I don't really mind if it'll make him feel better." Luke replied.

"I'm sorry for leaving you to take care of him, but I agree," Taylor said holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, shaking his finger at no one in particular. "he needs to grow up."

"This could do it, you never know." Luke smiled.

"Yea, maybe, but unlikely." Taylor grumbled. "Ok, put him back on."

"Bye. Have fun." Luke said to Taylor as he opened the car door and thrust the phone at Kris. "He wants to talk to you again." before he closed the door- giving Kris privacy while he waited.

Kris held the phone to his ear and asked in a sort of high sounding voice, "Taylor?"

"Yes. Look I'm just going to say this once more and then I never, never want to hear a word regarding it ever again. Got it?" Taylor said firmly.

Kris nodded as he answered, "Yes." in a soft tone.

"Good. Now listen up. I love you and no one else. I am not going to go out and pick up some guy and have a secret affair with him or a one night stand. I'm not a cheater, so you can believe me when I say that I'm not the type to go looking for a little excitement. Further more, Dan is straight. Even if he wasn't, I couldn't be persuaded to go after him."

"Thanks a lot dude." Dan laughed.

Taylor rolled his eyes at Dan and continued, "Kris, you're everything I want in a boyfriend. I could do without the jealousy though, but we'll work through that together. You're handsome, good natured, a great kisser and such a gullible guy. I love to tease you. I love only **you**."

Kris smiled and held the phone tighter because Taylor bared his soul to him; convincing him this time that he'd never leave him.

"So, does that clear up your worries?" Taylor asked.

Relieved, Kris said, "Yes. Thank you Taylor. You always know what to say to make me feel good."

"Remember that when you're having doubts about us."

"I definitely will."

"Perfect. You know what?" Taylor asked in a low voice into the phone.

"What?"

Taylor spoke slowly, enunciating every word, "I can't stop thinking about last night. Touching you, kissing you, fucking you, and when you screamed my name when you shot your load. It was so hot watching you cum on your chest Kris. Shit, I'm getting hard just thinking about your beautiful, naked body." Taylor groaned quietly into the phone. "You're mine kiddo."

"You mean making love." Kris corrected him followed by a soft, aching whine indicating his desire for Taylor. He felt his body get warm all over.

"No, that was fucking hot, passionate, impulsive love-making with my striking, gorgeous boyfriend."

Kris moaned and let his head fall back to rest on the back of Luke's car seat- his manhood springing up unexpectedly. "God Taylor, you make me feel so horny." he said, pulling the bottom of his tee shirt out of his jeans to cover his erection.

"Ha, ha." Taylor laughed and added, "I hope it builds. I want you ready to explode when I get back. Promise me that you won't jack off, ok?"

Kris looked out Luke's window as if his roommate could hear their conversation. He asked in a whisper, "Why?"

"Because, Kris, it'll be amazing when you do cum on Saturday. All that testosterone will cause you to erupt so hard you'll feel like your having an out of body experience."

"If you're sure..."

"Hell yea I'm sure." Taylor cracked a smile. "Save that cock for me."

Kris began to pant. "Taaaylor..." he drawled.

"Just do it. Wait for me." Taylor chuckled, knowing that Kris wouldn't be able to, but it was going to be fun hearing how Kris took 'care' of himself when he got back from his trip.

"Okaaay... I'll try." Kris said, then promptly stated, "You have to as well."

"Uh, alright." Taylor laughed, knowing he didn't need to jack off as often as his boyfriend. He could go for at least a week without touching himself or having sex with Kris. Their relationship was so much more than just that, plus, he'd already come into his sexuality when he was Kris's age and was somewhat able to control his urges when it came to fucking. Kris was still discovering and learning. He was much like an eager to please student. Horny all the time as if he couldn't get enough dick.

"I love you Taylor."

"Love you too kiddo." Taylor said and made a kiss sound into the phone. "I'll call tomorrow night."

"Ok. I'll be waiting. Bye." Kris said.

"Bye my sweet boy." Taylor said and hung up.

Kris's grin was one of his biggest ones yet. He closed his phone. He got out of the car with his face all aglow. _'He called me _**his**_ sweet boy! Finally something other than kiddo!'_

"You must have had a great talk." Luke smiled and locked his car. "Lets go eat and you can tell me all about it."

~~**~~

Noah finished snapping pictures and lowered his camera to look at Zachary. "That's enough. I took a shitload of pictures and I know I got some really good ones."

Zachary smiled at Noah and asked, "Wanna do some nude shots for old times sake?"

One of the lighting people gave Zachary and Noah an odd look, then picked up his equipment and left the room.

"No." Noah said before putting his camera away. "Why are you even trying Zack, you know I'm in love with Luke."

The makeup stylist and hair designer gave each other an eye roll and left as well. They both knew Zachary and how persuasive and relentless he was when it came to getting what he wanted. They believed Noah had no chance when it came to refusing or declining the model's blunt and obscene come ons.

"I don't think you are." Zachary stated as though it were a fact. "You and I had some great times together, or did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget, but I'd like to." Noah said avoiding the 'I'm devouring your body' look in Zachary's stare.

"Aww Noah." Zachary teased in a false, whiny voice.

"Don't 'aww' me! You're the one who cheated on me with that other model. The blond one."

"So if I hadn't cheated, you would have stayed with me?" Zachary licked his lips. "Would you have Noah?" He cocked his head to the side and smirked, knowing he had Noah where he wanted him.

Noah shrugged. He looked at Zachary and answered, "I don't know, probably- but you didn't stay with me. So the point is moot. I moved on." Zachary was gazing at him as if he were going to eat him alive. Noah looked away, feeling uncomfortable in the situation and position he was in.

"Maybe you'd give me a second chance?" Zachary whispered tantalizingly near Noah's ear. "We could be so good again. You loved how hard I fucked you. Remember?"

Noah bit his lip so he wouldn't react. He gulped and tried to ignore his ex. Maybe if he pretended he didn't hear Zachary, the model would give up and leave.

"Huh Noah?" Zachary's voice now had a touch of seduction in it, "You used to yell, 'Feels so good Zack, harder, harder! Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me, make me cum!'"

Noah snapped, "Shut up Zachary. I don't want to hear it."

"Mmm, but I do. I want to hear it now. How about we go to my place and reenact that scene?" Zachary's hand found Noah's ass and gave it a squeeze.

"I don't think so and keep your hands off me!"

"Luke has you wrapped around his little finger, doesn't he? You're cock whipped!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Zachary crossed his arms.

"I am not having this discussion with you. I have work to do. Bye Zack, and leave me alone."

"Anything you say Noah." Zack laughed, feeling like if he kept pushing, Noah would break down and sleep with him again. _'After all,'_ Zachary thought, _'Noah knows I'm the only guy he's had that can shake him to the core, take him above and beyond any orgasm he's ever had. I took him to another plane of ecstasy. He told me. Shit, he was one of the best pieces of ass I'd ever had. I know I can break him down, make him come back to me. Damn that Gregory, the blond model I fucked. God he was so willing to try anything. He was good too- not as good as Noah though. God, Noah's screams of passion... he was one of a kind. Still is. I'm gonna get him back.'_

Noah walked away, trying to clear his head. Once Zachary was out of his mind, he concentrated on who could have stolen his portfolio. Another photographer? He wondered. A model? There were plenty of them around. His stomach became nervous as he thought about the naked pictures of Luke that someone around here was looking at, maybe lusting after. He tried to think and couldn't come up with anyone who had a grudge against him except Zachary, but the model had a point. Why would he take them? Zachary obviously wanted him, not Luke. Noah sighed heavily. He debated whether or not to tell Luke about the stolen pictures and decided not to. He didn't want Luke to worry or possibly get mad at him for carrying them around and then having them stolen right out of his bag. He wasn't even sure he should tell Luke about working with Zachary today.

~~**~~

Luke and Kris arrived back at the townhouse and unloaded the party supplies from the car. As they were carrying things to the door, Luke's neighbor, Carlene, walked over carrying a yellow envelope.

"Hi Luke." she said. "The mailman tried to deliver this, but you weren't home. He asked me to give it you." she handed the large envelope over to Luke.

Luke's face paled as he juggled the bags in his hands. The envelope was the same kind as the one he received days ago. The one that held pictures of him in his underwear with a hard on.

"Thanks Carlene." he said, stuffing the envelope into one of the bags he was holding. "This is Kris, one of my roommates."

"I've seen him around." she smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Carlene." Kris said in a shy, boyish voice.

"You're dating a tall, dark haired, handsome man aren't you?" Carlene asked with her brows raised. "Sorry for prying. I shouldn't."

"It's ok. Yes I am dating him. His name is Taylor. He's a roommate too." Kris reddened with embarrassment.

"Well I think you're a very lucky man Kris. He's very attractive." she said.

With a nod of his head, Kris added, "He's very smart too."

Carlene smiled at Kris and glanced at Luke. "How about you and Noah- was it?"

"Yep, Noah. We're good." Luke beamed, thinking about his boyfriend. "He's been busy with work, but we make do."

"Good. I was so surprised to see that you had a boyfriend after you've been single for a while."

Now it was Luke's turn to blush. "Yea, well we just hit it off right away."

"Good for you." Carlene said, looking at the bags the two boys had in their hands. "I see you're busy, so I'll let you two go. Bye boys."

"Bye." Luke and Kris said before going inside.

They unpacked the bags on the table, then Luke asked Kris to get the helium tank out of the trunk of the car. As Kris went out the front door, Luke went into the bathroom downstairs with the envelope in his hands and locked the door.

He stared at his name and address in black permanent marker while butterflies scattered in his stomach. He muttered under his breath, "This has to be Noah's doing. He's playing around. He has to be. No one else knows about these pictures."

With a hesitant gulp, Luke opened the envelope and looked inside. There were more pictures. He pulled them out and saw himself naked on the bed with his hand wrapped around his erection. The next one was similar, but his hand was in a different position and it was a close up. He could even see the drop of pre-cum on the slit of his cock.

Luke gasped and shuffled the pictures. Another had a close up of his face. His mouth was open and his eyes were seductively half closed, looking directly at the camera.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Noah better have sent these to me." But something told him Noah didn't. He turned over the pictures, and saw writing in black marker.

**Luke,  
You are so fucking hot- gorgeous! I really want to get to know you.  
I want to do things to your body that no one else has ever done- things that your boyfriend can't do to satisfy you.  
I swear I can fulfill ALL of your needs. See your cock in those pictures?  
I want to take it in my mouth and suck you dry, but first, I'd lick your shaft, then the ridge of that fantastic head, and your balls.  
Have you every been rimmed? I love eating ass Luke. I'd tongue fuck you until you beg me to fuck you with my big cock. Please consider it Luke.  
I'd be totally inconspicuous. No one would EVER find out. I promise.  
I want to taste you at least once, maybe more if you'd let me.  
I know for a fact that I can please you. **

Luke breathed deeply, trying to rid himself of his unwanted erection, then he ripped the pictures into tiny pieces and flushed them. _'I can't tell Noah about this. He'll get jealous. Unless he's the one doing it? No it can't be. He would have said something or asked me if I received the pictures and his messages. He didn't do this. Kris or Taylor must have went into our bedroom and took the pictures. How would anyone else get them? It has to be one of them.... but they seem so much in love. Wait! When Taylor moved in he stated he wanted a threesome. What if he's the one doing it and wants me, him and Kris together?'_

"Uggghhh...." Luke ran his hand down his face and looked at himself in the mirror. "That can't be it. They both know that Noah and I have been through so much and that I wouldn't do something to jeopardize our relationship. Then who? God, this is driving me batty!"

A knock on the door startled him. "Um, yea?"

Kris answered, "Are you ok? You've been in there for quite a while."

"Just finishing up." Luke said and turned on the water, pretending to wash his hands. He opened the door and carried the envelope to the front door.

"What did you get?" Kris pried.

Luke turned around before opening the door. "Just some brochures about.... er, you know, junk mail."

"Oh." Kris said and shrugged and turned away to go to Taylor's bedroom to relax.

Luke went to the big dumpster behind the townhouses and put the envelope inside, then closed the lid. "I need to get to the bottom of this right now or I'll go crazy!" Luke's phone rang just then.

"Hello?"

"Hi Luke, it's Stephan."

"Yea, hi." Luke said as he walked back to the townhouse.

"I've got eight of Taylor's friends that can make it." Stephan said. "Is that enough? I could invite some of his co-workers."

"No. that's enough. Besides, I don't think my place will hold anymore than that without getting crowded. So that's you and the other eight, us four and three from Taylor's family. That makes.... sixteen. Perfect. He's going to be so shocked."

"Hey, I was thinking of buying the alcohol, soda and bottled water for you. I know it can get expensive especially with that many people around."

"That would be great! I was planning on filling the tub with ice and adding the drinks."

"Great idea." Stephan said. "I'll buy the ice too and come early to help set up."

"Cool, so we're all set then."

"Seems like it." Stephan laughed. "So I'll see you Saturday."

"Sounds good. Oh, feel free to bring a date."

"Thanks. Bye Luke."

"Later." Luke said, entering the townhouse. He went directly to Taylor's bedroom and knocked.

"You may enter." Kris laughed.

Luke walked in and saw Kris blowing up the life sized, anatomically correct doll named 'Mr. Stud'.

Luke giggled as the new and improved doll filled out. "Jeez! He's even got balls!"

Kris nodded as he plugged the doll to keep the air in. He held him up and grinned. "Look at that hard on!"

Luke shook his head and asked, "So are you going to sleep with it and pretend it's Taylor? Er, not in the sexual way of course."

"No!" Kris said bashfully. "I wanted it to be ready for Taylor when he comes home. I think he'll get a kick out of it." he hugged the doll and laughed again.

"Along with those 'Gummi Peckers' you bought. Suck them, lick them, or chew them."

"I know! He likes 'gummi' anything because there's no fat in them. He's so conscious about what he puts in his body."

"He looks good though."

"I know." Kris replied, thinking about Taylor's naked body.

"Stephan called back." Luke mentioned. "Eight of Taylor's friends can come."

Kris threw the doll on the bed and excitedly grabbed Luke's hands before jumping up and down. "I'm so happy!"

Luke chuckled, then became serious. "Kris? Sit down, I want to ask you something important."

Kris furrowed his brow, seeing that Luke was dead serious. "What?"

Luke sat next to him and said, "Please don't get offended by what I'm about to ask you."

A look of fear washed over Kris's face. "What?" he asked apprehensively.

"Umm- Have Taylor or you ever talked about a threesome?"

"WHAT?" Kris stood up so fast that all Luke saw was a blur. Kris eyed Luke and asked frantically, "What the hell are you talking about? Do you know something I don't? Has Taylor talked to you about this? Is this something he wants?!"

Luke pulled Kris down to the bed by grabbing his arm. "No, he didn't bring it up. It's just, oh nothing."

Kris's thoughts ran unrestrained. _'Is Luke propositioning me? Does he want Taylor? What the hell? I have to get to the bottom of this, but how?'_

"Luke........" Kris said, looking down because he couldn't look Luke in the eye. "What is this about? Are you- are you wanting to....." _'I can't say it!'_

Luke's head jerked back. "No. No way Kris!"

Kris let out a relieved breath, then questioned, "Then what's with the question? Why would you ask me something like that? I don't get it."

Luke grimaced. "I-- it's for my book." he lied.

"Oh, you had me worried. Wait, what do we have to do with your book?" Kris asked suspiciously.

Luke lied again, "I have a young couple in it and one wants a threesome and the other doesn't. I was wondering how they'd resolve it. That's all."

"Well, Taylor and I haven't discussed it because I don't think he's interested and I'm certainly not interested."

Luke thought, _'Thank God Taylor never mentioned he wanted me and Noah after he moved in! Kris would be heartbroken.'_

Luke nodded. "It can break up a solid relationship."

"I should think so." Kris said as he looked at Luke.


	21. Chapter 21

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 21

SUMMARY: Thursday. Zachary oversteps the bounds and Luke and Kris spend more time together. A lot of Drama in this chapter.

RATED/WARNING: R or NC-17 (Innuendos, sexual situations)

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

Noah woke up and for a moment he was confused where he was. Then he remembered Luke telling him that they were sleeping downstairs so Kris wouldn't be afraid in the middle of the night.

He rubbed his eyes and gazed at Luke, who was sleeping on his stomach and had kicked off the blankets sometime during the night. He stared at Luke's ass for the longest time, getting hard with thoughts of what he wanted to do to it. He had time for it before work.

Noah leaned over and licked a wet strip up Luke's right ass cheek. Getting no reaction, he repositioned himself and licked up Luke's crack and heard a moan.

"Mmmmm--"

Noah grinned and did it again. This time Luke spread his legs apart. Noah reached under and fondled Luke's nuts as he continued to pass his tongue over Luke's ass.

Luke raised his hips off the bed and groaned. "Ahh Noahhh."

"Get on your hands and knees." Noah said emphatically.

Luke became fully awake in an instant and rose up into position. Noah was happy Luke was receptive to the idea. He stared at Luke's hole, licking his lips with the thought of diving into it.

Luke wiggled his hips. "Noah? When are you going to make love to me? I'm waiting!"

Noah chuckled. He had no intention of making love to Luke. He leaned forward and spread Luke's legs further apart before he dragged his tongue across Luke's entrance getting it wet, then blew warm breaths on the wetness.

Luke gasped loudly, then moaned. "What are you... y-you doing?"

"Like it?" Noah asked, then proceeded to tease Luke by flickering the tip of his tongue over and over- grazing Luke's perfect opening while massaging his ass with his hands.

Luke breathlessly whimpered and pushed his body back, onto Noah's face. Filled with wonder and delight, he gasped, "Please.... ohhh..... shhhhit...."

Noah pushed Luke's head down to the bed so just his ass was up in the air. He moved in again, bathing Luke's opening before probing the tip of his tongue inside. He caressed Luke's inner thighs, relaxing him for the insertion.

"Oh, Oh, Uhh-Noah!" Luke cried out, enraptured.

Noah held onto the front of Luke's thighs as he delved his wet tongue inside and commenced thrusting it in and out.

Luke was reduced to a whimpering puddle. He felt Noah's tongue speed up and his hand reach around to grab his erection. Noah began stroking it expertly.

"UhnnnNoah! Oh God!" Luke squeaked as he squirmed and arched his back. Fireworks exploded behind his closed eyes as the high pitched ringing echoing in his ears reached a crescendo. He came harder than he thought possible due to Noah's skilled tongue driving and withdrawing inside him and Noah's fingers wrapped around his hardness, stroking him with the perfect rhythm.

Letting out a large blast of hot air, Luke collapsed to the bed- his forehead sweaty and his body drained from the energy expended on his orgasm.

Noah covered Luke's body with his own and whispered in his ear, "You are so hot Luke. Tasty too." Noah licked Luke's ear.

"Yea?" Luke asked with a smile.

"Hell yea." Noah answered, nibbling on Luke's earlobe. "How was I?"

"Mm, I have nothing to compare it to, but that was the best feeling ever- aside from us making love."

Noah blew in Luke's ear and said, "I went into uncharted territory huh?" Then he whispered, "Virgin territory."

Luke giggled, but then a look of concern appeared on his face. What Noah had done and what he was saying right now was really close to what was written on the back of the picture he'd ripped up and flushed in the toilet.

"Noah?" he turned his head as far as he could, then grunted and pushed his boyfriend off his back. Facing each other, Luke asked, "Did you send me something in the mail?"

"No. why? Did you get something you thought was from me?" Noah asked. Luke could tell he wasn't lying and lied himself, "Um, I received something and there wasn't a return address. I thought maybe you sent it."

"Well, what was it?" Noah asked, his curiosity piqued.

Luke lowered his gaze and answered, "Just a few brochures about, uh, safe sex. I thought you were playing a joke on me." he was certain Noah didn't send the pictures, so it had to be someone in the house. He still couldn't imagine Taylor or Kris doing that, but if it wasn't one of them, then who? Somehow, someone had the pictures and either copied them or had the originals. But how?

"Nope, wasn't me. They were probably legitimate. I wouldn't worry about it." Noah smiled as he ran his finger down Luke's cheek. "I love you, but I have to get up, shower, eat and get to work."

Luke watched Noah rise out of bed and asked, "How is work going?"

Noah didn't turn around. He pretended to search the floor for the clothes he stripped off himself the night before. "Good." he answered.

Luke sat up and tilted his head to the side. "Really?" he asked.

"Yea." Noah answered, pulling up his briefs, then his pants.

Luke asked hesitantly, "What about Zachary?"

"What about him?" Noah asked as he bent over and picked up his shirt.

"Have you seen him since that one day?" Luke asked with suspicion. It seemed that Noah couldn't meet his eyes.

Noah winced and decided to come clean. "Yes, I have."

Luke frowned and whispered, "Oh."

Noah turned around and saw Luke pull the sheet up to hide his nakedness. "Luke, I love you."

"I love you too, but he... he touches you Noah. I don't like that. I've never trusted him and I never will." Luke stated emphatically with a worried look in his eyes.

"Luke, I don't know how else to convince you that he has no effect on me. He can try as hard as he wants, but the fact is, is that I'm yours."

Luke smiled and nodded.

"But I have to confess. I did a shoot with him yesterday." Noah raised his hand when Luke sputtered, "But--"

Noah interrupted and said, "There were other people in the room and for the most part he behaved."

"What do you mean 'for the most part'?" Luke said, then clenched his jaw tightly closed.

"He talked suggestively to me. You know how he is." Noah stated. "He's an asshole. He wants what he can't have- and in this case, it's me."

"I wish you hadn't worked with him, Noah. I thought.... never mind." Luke hung his head.

"What? That we had a deal? We do, but the shoot had to be done and Zachary didn't get along with the other photographer. I stepped in and got it done."

"You should do what you want Noah. If photographing Zachary is what you want to do, then do it."

"No."

"Yes." Luke argued back. "Then you don't have to sneak around and worry about what I'll think."

"Come on Luke! I just told you I did a shoot with him. I didn't sneak around!"

Luke had to admit that was true, so he stayed silent.

"What? You don't believe me all of a sudden?" Noah looked hurt.

Luke looked up and pitched his body forward. "I'm sorry." He hugged Noah as he kissed his neck.

"I don't want your sorry's Luke, I want your trust." Noah replied.

"Ok, you got it." Luke pulled back to kiss Noah on the lips. "You better head to the loft to shower and change. I'll make breakfast. What are you hungry for?"

Noah teasingly smacked his lips and said, "Whatever goes with ass."

Luke laughed and kissed Noah again. "You goof. I'll make you eggs on toast."

"Mm. See you in a bit." Noah said and walked out the door, leaving it open unbeknownst to Luke. Luke rose out of bed and bent over to retrieve his clothes when he heard a whistle and a giggle. "Nice ass there Luke." Kris said on his way to the bathroom.

Luke promptly stood up and covered himself with his hands. "Peeping Tom!" he shouted out just as Kris entered the bathroom.

Kris snickered as he undressed. While he was showering, he thought back to his and Taylor's conversation on the phone yesterday. He couldn't help but get hard. He longed to touch himself, but Taylor didn't want him to. Would Taylor even know if he did masturbate? He looked down at his upturned cock and sighed as water from his hair dripped onto it's head. He sucked in his bottom lip as he stared at it, wanting release as he fantasized about Taylor.

He watched his erection twitch uncontrollably, almost as if it was telling its owner to touch it. Kris moaned, feeling the need, the tingling, pulsing all along the length of his shaft. His balls felt heavy and full. He fought an inner battle, do I or don't I? Then he thought about calling Taylor and asking if he could get off, just this once. He decided he couldn't bother Taylor because he'd be at the show with Dan already.

"Fuck it." he muttered and grabbed his stiff cock, letting out a satisfying sigh as he began to stroke it. He thought about Taylor and the feeling of his boyfriend's dick inside him.

Luke stripped the bed he and Noah had slept in. He was heading to the laundry room with the soiled sheets in his arms when he heard Kris moaning loudly, then a few swear words thrown in for good measure. Luke kept his laugh to himself and went to load the washer. He came out of the laundry room, went to the kitchen and started breakfast.

Noah was upstairs getting dressed. He really wanted to get to the bottom of his missing portfolio. It made him extremely nervous knowing that someone had naked pictures of his boyfriend. He ran through every scenario as to why someone would take them. First he thought whoever took them might sell them to a magazine like the one he used to work at, then he thought that maybe someone was using them to get off. Lastly he thought someone might have taken them to rattle him at work- maybe to get him fired? The worst case scenario was to use them to blackmail him.

Noah finished by putting his socks on before walking downstairs to the smell of eggs wafting throughout the house.

"Smells good." Noah said, kissing the nape of Luke's neck as he stood behind him. He looked over Luke's shoulder, watching him turn the eggs over, then shake salt and pepper on them.

Luke snickered, saying, "Guess what, I heard? Kri-"

"Hi." Kris smiled as he walked to the kitchen. "Something smells delicious."

Luke couldn't help but chuckle. Kris was oblivious to the loud noises he'd made a short while ago and Luke wasn't about to embarrass him by bringing it out in the open.

"Hi Kris." Noah greeted him. "Luke is making eggs for toast. Want some?"

"There's plenty here." Luke said, turning to look at Kris and giggled.

"What? Is it my hair?" Kris asked, combing down his damp hair with his hand.

"No." Luke turned away.

"You're giving me a complex." Kris stepped closer to Luke and Noah. "You know, I didn't laugh at you this morning."

"I know." Luke said, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Noah to say, "He saw me naked because you didn't shut the bedroom door when you left."

Noah raised his eyebrows and laughed. He looked at Kris's pinkish-red face and said, "It's alright Kris."

"Whew!" Kris expelled a lungful of air. "I thought you'd beat me up."

"For what? Seeing my boyfriend's tight ass? Or maybe it was his cock you saw?" Noah teased.

"Uh, I- I..." Kris stuttered uncomfortably.

"Leave him alone Noah." Luke elbowed Noah in the ribs. "Grab a plate and some toast. The eggs are done."

~~**~~

After Noah left for work, Kris and Luke washed and dried the dishes.

"Do you think Taylor is having a good time in Florida?" Kris asked.

Luke could hear the insecurity in Kris's voice and answered, "I think he's having as much fun as he can without you being with him."

"Thanks Luke." Kris smiled. "Want to do something today?"

Luke felt obligated to keep Kris busy until Saturday night. "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

Kris shrugged. "How about a movie this afternoon? I should probably go to my dad's place right now and work. I can prepare the kitchen and cut up vegetables for the lunch rush."

"I'll drive you, that way you can save some money and buy a real gift for Taylor instead of paying a fare for a taxi." Luke said.

"I bought him a real gift already." Kris smiled. "Wanna see?"

Luke nodded and followed Kris to his bedroom. Kris dug in the back of his underwear drawer and pulled out a white velvet box.

Luke's mouth dropped open. "What did you do? You're too young to get married, not to mention it's too early in your relationship to be engaged!"

"No you dork! Open it." Kris laughed hard, handing the box over to Luke.

Luke opened the box and saw a 14 karat, white gold ring with a brushed finish and glossy, polished edges.

"Turn it." Kris said happily. "There's an inscription on it."

Luke looked up with shock. It certainly looked like a wedding band. He looked down again and turned the ring. It read-- **Kris**, then an etched heart and **Taylor**

"Think he'll like it?" Kris asked, hoping Luke would approve.

"Um, sure. You're positive you're not proposing?" Luke asked, putting the ring back in the velvet box before handing it back to Kris.

"No, it's just like a friendship or promise ring Luke. I mean if he proposed to me that would be different, but I couldn't ask him to marry me." Kris became somewhat nervous. "You don't think he's going to like it, do you? Is it too childish? Do you think I spent too much, not enough? Is he going to think it's a proposal? You certainly did. Oh God I can't give it to him now!" Kris panicked and slammed the box on his dresser. "What am I going to do?"

Luke watched Kris speechlessly. He quickly got his wits about him when Kris grabbed the front of Luke's shirt and shook him. Luke took Kris's hands and lowered them. "First you're going to calm down. Next you're going to think about Taylor. He's a good guy and he doesn't jump to conclusions like you and I do. You bought this for a reason, to show your love for him and he'll see the ring for what it is. A symbol of that love. Got it?"

"Yea." Kris nodded. "Yea, you're right. Taylor is level headed. Wow, I kinda went off on the deep end there."

"No shit." Luke muttered and said louder, "I'll drive you to work. Call me when you want me to pick you up for the movie."

"M'kay." Kris said, hiding the white box in his drawer before they left.

~~**~~

"Now what?" Noah asked through the door of the room he was developing film in. This door had a light on the outside that indicated the room was in use and a sturdy lock on the door.

"Can I come in and see the pictures?" Zachary asked. "The director of photography said you'd be done by now." he knocked again. "C'mon Noah."

"Just a fucking minute!" Noah yelled as he looked around the room, making sure that no undeveloped film was sitting out to be exposed by the light. With another sweep of the room with his eyes, he opened the door. "What?" he asked with a scowl.

"I want to see how I look." Zachary smiled entrancingly as he brushed against Noah's body when he entered the room. "Show me Noaaahhh." he drawled sexily.

"Knock that shit off now or leave." Noah griped with a look of dislike for Zachary.

"Oh alright babe. Let's see what you do best." Zachary grinned naughtily with a wink.

Noah picked up a picture, but before he handed it off, Zachary said, "No, I said what you do best... get on your back stud."

"Ok that's enough. Get out!" Noah said angrily as he pushed his ex towards the door.

"Oooh Noah. I know you like it rough and this definitely rough. It's so hot. Your touch sets me on fire."

"Shut up." Noah said, opening the door.

"I can't go out there now! I've got a hard on for you." Zachary said, looking down. "See?"

Noah didn't think, he just looked down and saw Zachary's pronounced erection straining against the tight jeans he had on. He quickly realized his mistake and looked away. "Fine, get your ass back in here, but you're leaving as soon as it's gone." Noah quickly turned away and went back to the counter to check his work.

"Fine by me." Zachary snickered and walked up behind Noah. He whispered in Noah's ear, "I want to grind up against your ass so fuckin' bad."

"No way. If you do, I'll be really pissed off and I won't hesitate to shove you out that door, hard on or not." Noah said warningly without turning around. He busied himself with choosing pictures for the magazine for Mrs. Connor to look over. Ones that showed his talent.

A few minutes later, he heard a strange noise coming from behind him. He turned and saw Zachary- his pants pulled down past his thighs and his hand jerking his cock.

"Zack!" Noah rose his voice. "What the hell are you doing? Jesus!"

"What's it look like?" Zachary panted. "Lift your shirt up so I can see that taut body."

"No! I'll do no such thing! God why does everything have to be sexual with you?" Noah turned away from his ex's hand motion.

"Cuz I'm a sexual being Noah- uh, uh..."

Noah closed his eyes and wished he could close his ears to the sounds filling the room. "Where the hell do you plan on cumming? You can't just do it on the floor!"

"Your mouth?" Zachary laughed, then grunted as he picked up the pace.

"Nope." Noah said with a frown as he took a look around. He took a dixie cup near the sink and held it out to Zachary. "Here, use this. Take it!"

Zachary looked at it, then at Noah's face. "Hold it for me. I'm almost... almost..."

"No way! Hold the cup yourself." Noah snarled and thrust it at Zachary.

"UHHHH!" Zachary's first spurt exploded onto Noah's shirt.

"Goddammit!" Noah yelled and put the rim of the cup over the tip of Zachary's cock.

"Uhhhmmm Noah. FFFFUUUCK!" Zachary cried out passionately, before moaning long and loud as he coated and filled the cup with his release. "Oh, Ohhh, Ahhhh...."

Noah wrinkled his nose, feeling the heat from Zachary's release on both the cup he was holding and on his stomach from where it had soaked through his shirt. He frowned and forcefully handed the cup to Zachary. "Here. I don't want it!"

"You don't want a shot?" Zachary asked, taking the cup from Noah. "You used to eat cum."

"I do, just not yours- What are you doing?!"

Zachary tipped his head back as he drank from the dixie cup. He tapped the bottom, then lowered it. "Mmm, Ahh... delicious!" he licked his lips, then grinned at Noah, noticing the look on his face. Noah's jaw had dropped and he was wide eyed. He seemed to be astonished, yet struck with amazement.

Zachary smiled to himself as he tossed the empty cup in the wastepaper basket and pulled up his pants. His eyes slowly ran up Noah's body and stopped on his crotch.

"Well hello there Noah Junior! Although... I gotta say we both know he's not a junior sized specimen." Zachary wiggled his eyebrows before looking up at Noah. He stepped up to his ex and blew on his face. "See what you missed? Doesn't it smell appetizing?"

Noah did smell cum on Zachary's breath, but he didn't respond. His mind was still trying to make sense out of what he'd seen. He was staring into Zachary's beautiful eyes, when he suddenly realized that his ex was rubbing his erection through his jeans.

Noah slapped Zachary's hand away before pushing him backwards. "DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME!" He screamed in the model's face. Zachary just laughed, taunting Noah further.

"You asshole!" Noah yelled. "Do you want me to call the cops for sexual harassing me?"

"Sexual harassment huh? What happened to the joint you had hanging over my head?"

"I still have it." Noah lied. The truth was, he tossed it a few weeks ago because he hadn't seen Zachary around and thought he was done with him.

"Oh yea? Want to share it? We can blame me giving you a blow job on the PCP." Zack walked back to Noah. "Luke took you back once, he'll do it again."

Noah held his hand out, stopping Zachary. "Just leave." he growled, full of anger. "You got off and now I have to go to the bathroom to clean my shirt." He looked down, seeing the stain on the bottom half of his shirt. He shook his head as he lifted his gaze. "You have some nerve doing that."

"Oh you liked it and you know it."

"No I didn't!"

"You sure as shit did! You're rock hard Noah. That big cock of yours needs to shoot."

"Luke is the only one allowed to make me 'shoot'." Noah said nastily. "Leave now." he pointed to the door.

"I'll see you later babe. Thanks for being the inspiration for my release." Zachary laughed as he left the room.

Noah stared at the closed door and muttered a string of curse words. As soon as his erection went down, he dashed to the bathroom, wet a few paper towels, then rubbed his shirt vigorously. Now he had a large wet spot. "Shit, shit, shit!" he said at his reflection in the mirror.

~~**~~

After one quick stop, Luke was on his way to pick up Kris at the restaurant. He decided to quickly call Noah to thank him for rimming him this morning.

"What?!!" Noah angrily answered his cell phone in the bathroom at GQ.

Luke double checked the number he'd punched in and put the phone back to his ear. He questioned, startled, "Noah? What's wrong?"

"Luke? What are you doing calling me? Did something happen?" he asked, fanning his shirt to dry it.

"Nothing happened. I just called to say thanks for the great wake up this morning. Now tell me what's got you so upset."

Noah sighed, knowing he could never tell Luke what happened minutes ago. Luke would be too hurt by Zachary's actions. "I'm just really, really tired. That's all. Don't wait up for me tonight. Go to bed and go to sleep."

"I want to wait up for you. I like to see you when you come home."

"Please Luke? I'm really stressed out right now and I'd rather not deal with anyone."

Noah's statement jarred Luke. He was shaken, but inquired anyway, "By anyone, do you mean me too?"

"I don't want to say something I'll regret Luke. Can we leave it at that?" Noah asked pleadingly.

Luke's mind failed to comprehend what Noah was saying. What was the 'something' Noah was afraid to say to him? Why was he in such a bad mood? Strike that, it wasn't a bad mood; Noah was being distant and cold.

"Luke, I have to go. Are you good?" Noah asked in a rush.

Luke's face registered dissatisfaction. "Yea, I'm good... just **great**." he muttered sarcastically. "Bye." he said before hanging up the phone.

Luke reached the restaurant at 3:00 to pick Kris up. He saw Kris jogging to the car, waving with a big smile on his face. He eagerly opened the car door and sat down.

"Hi!" Kris grinned at Luke.

Luke gave a fake half smile and replied, feeling down, "Hello."

"I've been thinking all day about this party Luke, and while I was, I dropped a whole tub of dirty dishes in the kitchen." Kris giggled.

"Uh-Oh!" Luke glanced at Kris.

"Ehh- my dad is pretty easy going. Hey! He's going to have the food delivered at 7:30pm on Saturday." Kris said happily. "We're having a shredded roast pork in barbecue sauce for sandwiches, and shrimp and salads and other stuff that I can't remember right now."

"That's great." Luke smiled at him- genuinely this time. Kris's enthusiasm could get just about anyone out of a foul mood.

"And, get this. He's asked Marcus, one of his waiters, to walk around the house with all kinds of hors d'oeuvres on a tray. He'll serve all of the guests!!"

"Good." Luke chuckled at Kris's enthusiasm. "Oh I stopped at a wine and spirits store before I came. I bought you and Taylor a bottle of champagne. It's um," Luke tried to think. "Oh... Noble Cuvee Brut Rose NV. Whatever that means. The connoisseur of fine wines and champagne told me it tastes like berries. I thought it sounded good."

"Aw, thank you Luke. I'll save it for after everyone leaves and we're alone."

"Who? You and me?" Luke joked.

"What? No, for me and Taylor. Are you still thinking about that threesome in your book?"

"No, I was kidding." Luke smirked. "I wasn't serious."

"Oh." Kris said and laughed. "That's ok then. I can't wait until Saturday. It seems so far away."

"Two days."

"Three if you count today." Kris sat up and turned toward Luke. "You know what? I think he lied! Taylor is actually gone for four days!"

"What? He left Wednesday and he's coming back on Saturday. It's three days. You don't count the day he leaves."

"Yes! Wednesday was one day, then Thursday is day two...."

"Kris, that's not how you count days. You go Wednesday to Thursday is one day, Thursday to Friday is the second day and Friday to Saturday is the third day. See?"

"No! How can you count Thursday and Friday twice? Wednesday to Thursday and Thursday to Friday... Friday to Saturday? That makes...." Kris counted on his fingers. "six days if you add that all up."

Luke laughed. "Kris... you're such a geek."

"Seriously Luke, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday is four days. Is it not?"

Luke shook his head and snickered. He gave in, seeing as it was no use arguing with Kris. "Yea, it's four days." Luke replied with an eye roll.

Kris crossed his arms with a self satisfied look on his face. "Four freakin' days." he said aloud.

Luke muffled his laugh in his hand.

~~**~~

After the movie, Luke graciously told Kris he'd spring for supper and asked him where he'd like to eat.

"Can we have a 'In and Out' burger?" Kris asked. "Taylor won't go there, too much grease and fried food."

"Sure." Luke said and pulled into the lot.

At their table, Kris stared at Luke's hair. "Your hair is getting long Luke. Are you growing it out?"

Luke's eyes raised, seeing the fringe of his bangs hanging near his eyes. The hair in the back laid on the nape of his neck. He raked his fingers through it and shrugged.

"I haven't given it much thought. It is long, isn't it?"

Kris reached across and ruffled up Luke's bangs. "It is, but it's cute."

"Cute? I better get it cut. I don't want to look too young."

"Are you saying I'm too young cuz Taylor calls me cute?" Kris asked as he sipped his drink.

"I didn't say it Kris, I insinuated it." Luke chuckled.

"Luke..... do you think I'm too immature for Taylor? I want your honest opinion. Please tell me."

Luke sighed and looked at Kris's penetrating blue eyes. "Don't get mad, but sometimes your behavior is...." Luke searched for the right word in his head.

"Childish?" Kris winced.

"No, not really. It's more like...."

"Has Taylor said anything about me to you? I need to know what he thinks!" Kris nervously bit his fingernail.

"Nooo...." Luke shook his head as he lied. "He hasn't said a word."

"You don't sound so sure." Kris looked down.

"I'm not a very good liar." Luke admitted. "Do you want to know what he thinks? He loves you Kris. If he didn't have the patience to be with you, he'd be gone." Luke smiled.

"Patience? For what?" Kris asked, looking up.

"Well," Luke uncomfortably rubbed his chin. "you're inexperienced when it comes to relationships. You're a little clingy and you act jealous of Taylor's other relationships. Like the one he has with me and Noah."

"Hmm." Kris said softly, and averted his eyes. What Luke was saying was true, but if he wasn't clingy, wouldn't Taylor think he didn't love him and leave?

"Take Saturday for instance. His friends are going to be at the townhouse. The rest of us aren't going to know any them. Taylor will be mingling with them, not spending time with you. I know you miss him, but don't take it hard if he comes home, kisses you, then hangs around his friends to catch up with them."

"I guess I shouldn't have planned a surprise party. God I am an idiot for having it on the day he comes home." Kris shook his head.

"No you're not." Luke reached across the table and covered Kris's hand with his own. "It's going to work out, you'll see. Just remember, when everyone leaves, you two will be alone. You can give him the gag gifts you bought and the ring, sing happy birthday, then seal the deal with some hot birthday sex." Luke grinned.

"Mmm, yea...." Kris sighed with the thought of making love with Taylor. Then he shook the thought away and leaned forward. "Luke!"

"What?" Luke answered.

"Can someone tell if.... um..."

"Tell if what?" Luke asked, curious as to what Kris wanted to know.

Kris lowered his voice, "If someone jacked off?"

Luke looked confused, "Huh? What do you mean?" Was Kris talking about the possibility of Luke hearing him in the shower this morning? "Don't worry about it Kris. All guys masturbate, and if they say they don't, those are the ones who do it the most." Luke giggled.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kris questioned, not realizing that Luke may have heard him this morning.

"Er, what are YOU talking about?" Luke countered.

"Well, Taylor didn't want me to touch myself until he got back. He can't tell if I had, right? I'm not saying I did, but I mean.... is there more cum if you wait?"

Luke answered, "Well maybe a little, but I think he was talking about the build up to an orgasm. The longer you wait between 'instances' the better the climax."

"Oh shit." Kris muttered to himself. "Then he'll know."

"Know what?" Luke laughed. "That you jacked off?"

Kris's face turned bright red. "No I didn't!" he stated, firmly whispering.

"Did too- otherwise why would you even ask?" Luke grinned. "Told ya so. You ARE one of those guys who denies it and probably yanks his chain all day and night."

"Fuck Luke, fine, I did." Kris said with a frown, but then began to laugh. "Yank my chain?"

Luke joined in laughing. "Noah once told me to bust a nut and splash my joy juice!"

"That's a good one!" Kris's body rocked with laughter.


	22. Chapter 22

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 22

SUMMARY: Friday. Noah receives news from his boss, Mrs. Connor, then finds a way to bury his frustration, Kris and Luke spend more time together

RATED: ? Language and Sexual Innuendos

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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Luke woke up in an empty bed. Noah had already left. _'Did he even come home?'_ Luke wondered. Noah hadn't come home by the time he finally closed his eyes and went to sleep. He couldn't recall feeling his body next to him during the night. _'What is going on? If it has something to do with Zachary, that asshole, I'm going to be devastated!'_

"Luke!" Kris opened the door to the bedroom and ran to the bed. He jumped up and landed on his knees. "Guess what?!"

Luke pulled the sheet up higher and asked, "What?"

"Taylor called last night. I wanted to tell you, but you were asleep already. OH!" Kris reached into his back pocket and pulled out a note. "Noah left this for you."

Luke reached for the note and took it from Kris's hand. "What did Taylor have to say?"

"Aren't you going to read that first?" Kris pointed to the folded piece of paper.

"No, tell me about Taylor."

"Alright!" Kris excitedly bounced on the bed. "He misses me, loves me and he can't wait to get back home."

"That's a given."

"Yea, but he sounded so sure Luke. I can hear it in his voice- not that I didn't before, but he really misses me. I thought he was going to break down and cry. I've never seen him cry in all these months we've been together. Have you?"

"Seen Taylor cry? Not once." Luke shook his head.

"He also said he and Dan went out last night, that's why he called so late. They went to some bar and a woman bought him a drink and three others tried to pick him up. They wanted to go back to his place."

Luke snickered. "Good luck to them."

"Yea," Kris said thoughtfully. "Hey, do you know if Taylor has ever been with a girl?"

Luke frowned and answered, "He's gay Kris. He likes guys. He loves you."

"I KNOW that. I was wondering if he ever made love to a girl."

"I'm sure I don't know. Ask him." Luke chuckled. "Why do you need to know anyway? He's with you."

Kris shrugged. "I don't know. Thoughts just run through my head. It's better to talk to you than to question Taylor. He'd get mad at me."

"Yea, I could see that happening." Luke laughed aloud.

"What about Noah? Has he ever been with a girl?"

"Not that I know of. Man, what if he has?" Luke shivered. "Too weird."

"No shit." Kris laughed. "What about you?"

In less than a split second, Luke yelled, "NO!"

"You hesitated and didn't sound too sure. Maybe you want to clarify your answer." Kris laughed, teasing Luke.

"Shut the hell up Kris." Luke chuckled and pushed him over.

Kris caught himself before he fell over. He sat up facing Luke and said, "I haven't either. Girls are nice and some are attractive, but they do nothing to me."

"You mean FOR you, not to you." Luke joked.

"I like hanging out with you Luke." Kris smiled shyly with his admission, then pointed to the note. "Gonna read that now?"

"You saw Noah?"

"Yup. This morning. He was making himself breakfast when I got up. We talked about work and stuff before he left. He wanted you to sleep in, but I decided to wake you up after he left to give you that note. I want to know what it says. Read it!"

Luke unfolded the note and read it. He smiled and said, "Aww." when he finished.

"What's it say?" Kris bounced eagerly.

"He's sorry for being short with me on the phone yesterday and he wants to make it up to me. He wrote that he can't wait to get home tonight and he described in detail....... er, never mind." Luke blushed. "He expressed his love for me and wished me a good day." Luke grinned.

Kris slapped Luke's sheet-covered knee and said, "Luke's gonna get some cock tonight!" Luke's blush deepened when Kris continued, "Noah's gonna make him bust a nut- OR TWO!" he laughed.

Luke rolled his eyes and pointed to the door. "Out. I have to get dressed."

"Aw...." Kris pouted. "I'll go make you something to eat." he said as he stood up. "Ha! I'm going to take your clothes!"

"Fine. I'll just wear yours." Luke pointed to Kris's dresser full of his clothing.

"Damn." Kris snapped his fingers.

"Go on, get." Luke shooed Kris away with his hand.

"Yea, yea. I'm going." Kris said as he walked to the door and closed it behind himself.

Luke got out of bed and dressed in the clothes he had on yesterday, then he went to the loft, showered and changed before heading back downstairs.

"It's finally Friday." Luke said to Kris who was trying to flip a pancake and failed.

"God fucking dammit!" Kris cursed loudly.

"Here..." Luke grabbed the spatula and nudged Kris out of the way. He laughed as he scraped and dumped the 'raw on the inside and burnt on the outside' pancake into the garbage. "Lets start over. First, you have the heat on too high. Second, you need to butter the pan lightly so they don't stick."

"Oh." Kris said embarrassedly. "I can make eggs really well though. Taylor likes them."

Luke smothered a laugh. He knew that Taylor only ate them because he didn't want to hurt Kris's feelings. Kris's eggs were overcooked, dry and rubbery.

"Now that the heat is lower and the butter is melted, pour in a ¼ cup of batter."

Luke watched Kris and complimented him. "Do another one next to it. All you have to do then is wait for the bubbles and watch the sides. When they're golden brown, flip it carefully. No aerial maneuvers." Luke handed the spatula over to Kris, saying, "I now dub you master of the pancake spatula. Don't disappoint me now."

"Got it!" Kris said, closely watching the batter in the pan.

"I'll set the table and grab the juice."

~~**~~

early afternoon......

"Noah?" The head director of photography caught him in the hallway.

Noah asked, "Yes Miss Connor?" after he turned around. Seeing his boss brought a smile to his face.

"If you have time, I'd really like to see you in my office."

"Now?" Noah asked with his head tipped to the left.

"Yes please." Miss Connor stated with a serious tone and waved for him to follow.

Noah was busting at the seams, wondering if he was in trouble... OR if his boss may have gotten hold of Luke's pictures. He set his camera bag on the floor and cringed as he sat on the chair in Miss Connor's office. A big oak desk separated them. He covered his mouth and cleared his throat. Hopefully, he'd have a voice to speak if he wasn't too embarrassed.

Miss Connor took an orange folder from the wire basket on her desk and set it before herself. She looked up at Noah and said, "I'd like to talk to you about these pictures." she opened the folder and picked up a 8x10 photo.

Noah couldn't look. He placed his hands in his lap and stared at his fingers, wishing he were anywhere but here.

"Now I know you said you and Zachary don't get along Noah, but just look at these pictures you took of him!" Miss Connor slid a few of them across her desk with a grin- her eyes bright and full of energy.

Noah looked up, relieved they weren't the pictures he thought they were, and stared at the pictures on the desk. He knew he was a good photographer because it showed in his work.

"Just look at him. He's gorgeous! The lighting, the background, the poses, the balance... just... the whole composition is wonderful."

Noah smiled through his blush. "Thank you."

"So," Miss Connor placed her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. Leaning forward with a look of authority, she proposed, "Noah, I'd like you to work with Zachary."

"But-"

She put a hand up and said, "Put your differences aside. Photography is your job. He's a model. Enough said."

"I can't. He's..."

"Noah, you don't have to talk to him, just aim and shoot with that trained eye of yours."

"He talks to me. He won't shut up and he touches-"

Miss Connor raised her eyes and clicked her tongue. "What is this? First grade? For God's sake, ignore him then."

"But I promised...."

"I am not your mother. I am your boss and I really want you to work with him." She studied Noah for a moment, seeing the distress in his eyes. "Look, I know I said you didn't have to work with him if you didn't want to, but after seeing what you did here," she pointed at the pictures, "I need you to."

Noah looked doubtful. He really, really didn't want to tell Luke that he had to work with his ex- especially since they had a deal that he wouldn't. He began to fear going home to inform Luke of this dreadful development. He wondered how this would impact Luke and their relationship. Any way he looked at it, it couldn't be good.

"Noah, you have to be proud of these, aren't you?" Miss Connor asked, holding up a photo. "Look at his face and body posture. He's making love to the camera and we here at GQ eat that look up. Everyone else will too. The clothes he's modeling will fly off the shelves and we'll get repeat business with this clothing company."

Noah gulped and stared at the picture, distinctly remembering Zachary's relentless and excessive flirting._'He was looking at ME that way. He didn't care about the shoot. He was trying to seduce me- bait me with his poses and facial expressions.'_

"What if I say no?" Noah asked, glancing from Zachary's photo to Miss Connor's face.

"I think you know the answer to that."

"Alright." Noah said defeatedly and made a soft noise similar to a discouraged sigh.

"Excellent! You can go back to working your normal work hours, starting Monday. Stop working on that other job I set you up with. I've got someone else to finish that up."

Noah dropped his gaze and nodded slowly before he rose out of the chair.

"Thank you Noah." Miss Connor said, "Since you're going to be working with Zachary now and he's not on the schedule this afternoon, you may leave if you wish. There's really nothing you can do here today."

Noah expelled another sigh and said faintly, "Alright." He picked up his camera bag and slipped the strap over his shoulder.

He left Miss Connor's office dragging his feet and reaching into his front pocket to pull out the keys to his truck. Once he was driving, his heart began to race the closer he got to the townhouse. He couldn't see Luke now. He couldn't tell Luke why he'd come home early. He couldn't tell him that he was practically 'forced' to work with Zachary. He didn't feel like standing before the firing squad right now. He made a U-Turn, intentionally heading away from home and Luke. He needed to think. Up ahead he saw the answer, 'K C's Bar and Grille'.

~~**~~

"This is one big cake!" Luke said, eying the triple layered, rectangular chocolate cake decorated with buttercream frosting. 'Happy 27th Birthday Taylor' was written across the top, and around the edges were very tiny, white and red frosting roses.

"It's a friggin' humongous cake." Kris laughed. "Help me to your car."

As Luke drove away from the bakery, he asked Kris, "One more day and you'll get to see the love of your life."

"Thank God! It's so hard. I miss him so much." Kris glanced in the backseat to make sure the box with the cake inside wasn't shifting.

"I'd miss Noah too. I mean I did miss him during those two weeks, the ones I refuse to talk about, but you know what I mean." Luke turned on the radio and turned the volume up.

Kris began singing, pretty well too. As Luke came to a stop at a red light, a convertible with two pretty, young women stopped next to Luke's car- on Kris's side. The girls honked at Luke and Kris, getting their attention.

"Hey!" the brunette driving the car called out and leaned over her door. "Where are you headed?" she gazed wide eyed and seductively at Kris.

Luke leaned forward and answered, "Home."

"Home." Kris replied to the girls.

"Is that where the party is boys?" she tossed her long hair over her shoulder as she giggled.

"How do you know about th-"

"Kris, they don't know about Taylor's birthday party." Luke laughed, "they're asking to party with us. Me and you."

"Oh. Should we invite them?"

Luke laughed harder, "No. they want to get it on with us. They're trying to pick us up. Get it?"

Kris looked at the two girls, who were waving with their fingers, accompanied by a sexy look on their faces.

"Well?" the driver asked, "Are you two up for satisfying a pair of kittens?"

Kris whipped his head to Luke and said, "What are they talking about?"

"I don't know." Luke said and peered at the girls. The driver blew him a kiss and licked her lips. "I think they want to get laid."

"Eh! No way!" Kris said to Luke and stuck his head out the window. "We're not into girls or kittens or anything. We're gay. You know, into guys?"

The girls squealed and laughed, "Can we watch you two?!!"

"Watch us what?" Kris asked, drawing his brows close.

Luke stepped on the gas as soon as the light turned green and sped away. He looked in the rearview mirror, seeing the convertible following them.

"Ugh! Kris," Luke spoke to his roommate, "They wanted to watch us."

"Watch us? Do what? How do they know what we're doing today? I don't even know what we're going to do for the rest of the day."

"Have sex!" Luke blurted loudly, then laughed when he heard Kris gasp.

"Luke! I don't want to have sex with you! What gave them the idea that we would do that?" Kris shook his head.

"Ahh Kris." Luke sighed at his blissfully unaware roommate. "I guess they thought we were together or that all gay guys are sex partners. I don't know."

"It's weird. Taylor got hit on and I did too." Kris giggled.

"Yea, but you didn't know you were. If you tell me that hasn't happened at the restaurant I'll call you a liar. You had to have known what was going on!"

"No one on staff hits on the boss's son."

"I mean a customer."

"I'm just a waiter and bus boy. Who would want to date me?"

"I think you're lying.... or oblivious." Luke stated.

"No I'm not- to either one." Kris stated as a fact.

"Well then, you must not pay attention."

"Luke! I hardly had friends in grade school and high school. I have two really good friends and that's it. They're gay too. Anyway, I got picked on in school. My classmates called me gay and faggot before I even came out. No girl has ever 'hit' on me."

"Sorry." Luke apologized, "I didn't know you were that wet behind the ears."

"I am... I really am. You know how I feel like an idiot around you all when you're talking together? I kinda feel like that now."

"Kris...."

"No, I do! I mean I didn't pick up the clues, the hints... I thought those girls were being nice." Kris hit his leg with his fist because he was frustrated. "I am a world class moron!"

"You are not." Luke stated as he took Kris's hand and held it to keep Kris from pounding it against his thigh again. "Don't bruise your leg or Taylor will wonder what happened."

"I don't care." Kris grumbled.

"Do you really want to tell him that a pair of girls got you upset?" Luke gave a hint of a smile.

"No! I make myself upset."

"Look Kris, now you know how girls are when they're flirting with you. So you actually learned something! You should be proud."

"Really?" Kris asked doubting Luke.

"Of course! Don't you think so too?" Luke asked as he let go of Kris's hand. He looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the convertible wasn't there anymore. He relaxed and continued the short drive to the townhouse.

"I guess. God!" Kris slapped his forehead. "What if they had come back with us!"

"I wouldn't have let them. I would have given them directions to 'Blockbusters' and told them which aisle to go down to find some good gay porn." Luke laughed.

"Really?" Kris asked again.

"No!" Luke laughed loudly. "I don't have a desire to watch. Now if it were me and Noah in the movie, I'd watch...."

"He should tape you two when you're doing it!" Kris said in an excited manner.

"No. No way. I was speaking hypothetically. I couldn't watch myself on tape. I'd be too embarrassed."

"Not me. I think it would be hot watching from a different view and angle than the normal way."

"Well you and Taylor go right on ahead." Luke snickered as he waved to Hank, who let the car pass into the gated community.

~~**~~

It was getting late, but Kris didn't want to go to bed yet. He still hadn't heard from his boyfriend.

"Come and watch tv with me in my room. You can wait for Noah to come home to fulfill that promise in that note while I wait for Taylor's call." he said to Luke, who was sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Fine." Luke said, glancing at the clock. _'11:30 already? Noah should be home soon.'_

Kris sat on Taylor's bed, against the headboard and grabbed the remote. Luke sat next to him and watched Kris channel surf until they both agreed on a show. They both grew drowsy as the night wore on.

~~**~~

When Noah stumbled into the townhouse, he accidentally went to the loft. Remembering, barely, that he and Luke were sleeping downstairs until Taylor returned from his trip, he turned around at the top of the stairs to go to the blue bedroom.

Despite holding the railing tightly, he lost his footing halfway down the stairs. He swore under his breath, then laughed at the unfortunate state he was in. He was heading down the stairs, backwards on his ass. He pulled himself up and turned back around. Carefully feeling for the next step with his foot, he made it all the way down without another incident.

Noah used the wall to his advantage. He leaned his back against it and placed his palms on it, then scooted past the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom to the bedroom he used to occupy.

_'Ohh Lukey baby-y-y... I'm here.'_ Noah thought to himself while giggling. _'I'm gonna attack that yummy ass of yours, then your wiener too! Ha ha, wiener.'_

Before he entered the bedroom, he looked across the hall and saw a light reflecting in the green bedroom- casting moving shadows on the wall. The tv was lighting up Kris's and Luke's faces. They were sitting next to each other, sleeping with their heads resting against one another.

Noah grinned and entered the room on wobbly legs. "Luuuukke.... oh Luuuke... I'm home... your hot, shitfaced boyfriend is h-here." Noah snickered as he neared the bed.

Kris and Luke both made a noise, but didn't wake up.

Noah licked his upper lip and dove onto the bed, landing across the sleeping men's legs.

Kris and Luke both awoke with a jolt and a scream.

"Jesus Noah!" Luke said, holding a hand to his own chest- feeling his heart racing.

"Shit Noah! What are you doing? Man!" Kris tried to catch his breath after being frightened nearly to death.

"What do you mean?" Noah turned over on his back and looked at their questioning faces. "I saw you two in here a-and... wanted in on the action-n." he said, slurring his words.

"You smell like smoke and alcohol." Kris said, plugging his nose with his finger and thumb.

"He does." Luke confirmed Kris's statement. "You went out drinking after work, didn't you?"

"J-J-Just an eensy weensy bit." Noah snickered and blew an air kiss at Luke.

"He's sloshed." Kris whispered.

"I know. Will you help me get him to our bed?" Luke gazed into Noah's heavy lidded, blue eyes.

"Hell to the fucking no! I'll sleep here with you two. Right h-here." Noah grinned drunkenly. "Did y-you get my n-note?"

"Yes." Luke answered, squirming out from under Noah. Kris followed and walked around the bed to stand next to Luke.

"Ready when you are." Kris said, watching Noah closely.

"Luke, get your delicious ass over here. I'm so-o hungry for it--"

Luke raised a finger to his mouth and sharply said, "SHH!"

Noah laughed and sat up, but swayed severely to the left, falling over. He brought his legs to his chest as he rolled onto his side and continued to laugh.

"Man!" Kris looked from Noah to Luke. "I think he's gone. What a weirdo."

Luke smiled and said, "Noah, lets go. Kris wants to go to bed too."

"With us-s? I thought you were against th-that sh-shit, but if you want to fuck him, I don't care. I j-just want you to b-be happ-py. I'd do anything f-for you."

"No Noah, I don't and you don't really want me to either." Luke shook his head and ran his fingers through Noah's thick, dark hair.

"Yes-s. Kris is a h-hot piece of ass. He's practi-tically a virgin... or we c-could take turns being bottom." Noah looked into Luke's eyes from his upside down position.

"Hey! There's one problem, I'm bottom too." Kris crossed his arms.

Luke glanced at Kris and gave him a crazy look that said, 'is that all?'

Kris's face registered shock. He quickly spoke up, "Oh! And I'm dating Taylor and would never have a threesome anyway. There." he said satisfied.

Noah grinned sloppily at Luke and said, "Come here my smokin' hot boyfriend... my sexy baby."

Luke sat on the bed and helped Noah turn himself around. Noah held Luke's face in his hands. His eyes tried to focus on Luke's eyes and lips- his whole face. Noah ran a gentle finger along Luke's cheek, then down his nose and said, "You're so fuckin' pretty. If you were a girl I'd be straight."

Kris let out a loud belly laugh, prompting Noah to laugh. Luke stood up, muttered, "Smart ass." and tried to pull Noah up to a standing position.

"N-No..." Noah whined and pulled Luke on top of himself. His hands dove into the back of Luke's jeans and kneaded his ass.

"UhOhhh Luuke." Noah moaned passionately. "Can't you feel h-how h-hard my cock is? I--"

"SHH! Kris is right here." Luke scolded Noah.

"I don't mind. I'll help you get him to the other room." Kris giggled out of nervousness due to Noah's drunken bluntness.

Luke jerked up when Noah's digit plunged between his ass cheeks. He whispered loudly through clenched teeth, "Get your finger out of there! Jesus Noah! Kris is in the room!"

"No. I'm gonna probe your asshole w-with my finger.... th-then my tongue... th-then my cock. You m-make me so f-fucking horny Luke." Noah pulled Luke's body hard against his after wrapping his arms around Luke's waist.

"Ok Noah," Luke looked over his shoulder at Kris. He noticed that Kris was staring at the floor with a deep shade of red covering his cheeks, the same color he was sure was adorning his own face. "lets go to the other bedroom across the hall first." He moved away from Noah and sat next to him, then Kris sat on the other side of Noah.

Kris and Luke wrapped their arms around Noah and lifted him. They stumbled along the way, through the bedroom, to the hall and into the other room. Noah was no help at all, his knees would buckle and he almost fell down twice. Finally, they reached their destination and let Noah fall face first on the bed.

Luke wiped his brow and said breathlessly, "Whew, thanks Kris. I owe you."

"It's ok." Kris answered before sighing. "I wonder why Taylor never called?"

"Maybe he did when we were asleep? Maybe he left a message." Luke pulled up his shirt, taking it off, and dropped it on the floor.

"Unnmm Luuuuke baby-y?" Noah drawled and blinked heavily. "Want y-you... f-f-fuck me into obli-- oblivion-n-n. Yeeowww!" Noah laughed.

Kris raised an eyebrow at Luke and let out a short laugh. "You've got your hands full. I think I will go check my phone." Kris replied and looked at Noah. He shook his head, amused, but he didn't envy Luke.

Luke rolled his eyes. Noah was so obnoxious as a drunk. He nodded at Kris and said confidently, "Yea, I'm sure there's a message, or he'll call soon."

"Luuuke... get me n-naked. Suck my-y dick baby. Suck th-the cum right out of it." Noah begged in a whiny voice as he rubbed his crotch to entice Luke.

"Can I sleep in your room?" Luke asked Kris teasingly. "I don't think I'm going to get any sleep in here."

"Are you serious?" Kris asked naively.

"No." Luke snickered.

"Oh let him-m sleep with you-u Kris. It'd be fuckin' h-hot." Noah laughed while closing his eyes. Trying to persuade Luke, he drawled, "Uhhhh... Lucianoooo... come feel how-w fucking hard I am-m."

"Um, I'm going." Kris said, backing out of the room red-faced, clearly uncomfortable.

"See you in the morning. We have a lot to do to get ready for the party." Luke grinned.

"I can't wait to see Taylor! I'm gonna jump on him and kiss his face all over!" Kris smiled brightly.

"Goodnight." Luke said as he shut the door.

"Night!" Kris answered back and entered his room, closing the door behind himself.

Luke turned around and saw that Noah had passed out. "Thank goodness." He gently undressed his boyfriend to his briefs and maneuvered Noah's body into bed. He covered him up, kissed him on the forehead and walked around the bed to get in. He laid his head on Noah's chest and listened to his boyfriend's heartbeat as he closed his eyes, became drowsy, and fell asleep.

The questions Luke had for Noah could wait until tomorrow-- Why was he drinking? Where did he go and with who? And lastly, why didn't Noah call to let him know he was going out after work?

~~**~~

Kris took his phone off the dresser. Seeing that there WAS a message from Taylor, he sat on the bed and turned off the tv to hear better.

_"Hi kiddo. I guess you're out with Luke and Noah. Hope you're having a good time with them. On another note, I really miss your lips. I was so tempted to fly out tonight and sneak into bed with you.... naked. I was going to molest you in your sleep, and by that I mean touch your body and your cock- playing with it until you woke up. I miss your scent, your eyes and your smile. God! I miss your tender neck. When I get home, I'm going to lap at it and bathe it with my tongue, then I'm going to nip and bite at it, then I'm going to suck on it and leave a big hickey just to remind you who you belong to. God I am so fucked up horny now. Shit! Well, tomorrow night we can take care of that, right?_" Kris heard Taylor chuckle, then a soft moan. _"Goodnight sweetness, love you. Bye."_

Kris closed his phone with tears blurring his vision. This was SO hard! He'd never loved anyone with so much feeling before- he'd never loved another man period. With this separation, Kris felt abandoned and lonely. Luke was a great distraction and he kept Kris busy, but he was no substitute for Taylor. He couldn't wait for tomorrow night, especially after everyone at the party left. That's when he and Taylor could be alone to get reacquainted.

He fell into bed after he undressed, clutching his phone tightly to his ear, replaying all of Taylor's messages.


	23. Chapter 23

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 23 (A Long One)

SUMMARY: Saturday Night. Taylor's Party. (party goers who are Taylor's friends. Cassandra and Amber, Sabrina and Jon are the most important to remember.)

RATED: R for Non-Nuke sex, Strong Language, Offensive Name Calling and Sexual Innuendos

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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"Wake up." Luke said, standing next to the bed, shaking Noah. "Get up. We have to talk, and then I have to help Kris set up for the party."

[No response]

Luke frowned and pulled the blankets off Noah, then quickly waved his hand in front of his own face. "Ugh, what the hell did you drink?" he asked aloud as he stared at Noah's face.

"Come on Noah!!" Luke shouted. "Get your lazy ass out of bed! It's almost 2pm!"

Luke sighed before he pulled the waistband of Noah's underwear up and let go. It snapped on Noah's stomach.

"OW!!" Noah opened an eye. "Oh, it's you. What the hell?"

"Rise and shine." Luke said with his hands on his hips.

"Why? Let me stay here... and sleep." Noah said as he rolled over onto his stomach. "Cover me up please."

Luke made a face and raised his hand. It came down hard right on Noah's ass. "Get up, Get up, Get Up!"

"Grrr." Noah growled. "Why the hell should I? It's Saturday, my day off." Noah grumbled.

"Because, my dear, tonight is Taylor's birthday party. We have to set up, but before that, you and I need to have a talk." Luke said before he sat on the bed and rubbed Noah's back.

"Oh shit. I forgot about the party. Dammit!" Noah rubbed one eye and turned over. Luke continued rubbing Noah, but on his chest now.

"How about lower?" Noah smiled, trying to distract Luke from talking about last night.

"How about later? Right now I want to talk." Luke said with a frown.

"Uh Oh. Here comes the firing squad." Noah mumbled as he rolled his eyes. "Fire away."

"That's not even funny, Noah." Luke crossed his arms and stared down Noah. "Why didn't you call me to tell me you were going out after work?"

"I didn't want to bother you. Besides, if I told you everything about myself, where would the mystery be? I have to have some secrets to intrigue you, don't I?" Noah winked at Luke.

"Whatever Noah." Luke said discouraged. "Who were you with?"

"No one. Just other bar patrons. The game was on tv, so most of the time I my eyes were there." Noah said, uncrossing Luke's arms and holding onto one of his hands. He caressed the palm of Luke's hand with a finger as he smiled at Luke. "So? How about it Luke? I'm almost naked and your fully dressed, lets make this even. Strip for me."

Luke pulled his hand back and looked at Noah suspiciously. "How did you get home? Your truck isn't here."

"Home?" Noah thought. "Gee... I got a ride from someone.... who....?"

"Great! Just great Noah!" Luke yelled and stood up. "Just when I trust you again, you go out, get plastered and you don't know what happened after that! Did you get fucked by someone?" Luke threw his hands up in the air and answered his own question. "He doesn't know! Why do I even ask? He has no clue!"

Noah sat up and scratched his head. "Noooo... I didn't get... wait... no, I didn't go out with anyone. I wouldn't! Some person...." Noah closed his eyes to think. "Ah Ha! It was the bartender!"

"You and the bartender? What bar!?" Luke growled, making fists with his hands at his sides.

"Ummm... 'KC's bar and Grille'."

"I'm going down there right now and bust up the place, then watch out, I'm coming back for you!" Luke pointed at Noah with a scowl on his angry face. He turned and left the room.

Noah swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran after Luke. "Wait!" Noah said, grabbing Luke around the waist and picked him up.

Luke tried to pull Noah's arms apart to free himself while he kicked and yelled, "Let. Me. GO!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"No, now listen." Noah said in Luke's ear. "The bartender brought me home. No sex, no kissing, no touching."

Luke continued to thrash in Noah's tight embrace. "How do you know? You can't be sure!"

"The bartender's name is Sheri."

"Sheri?"

"Yea. Sheri. A girl. A woman who was very nice and brought me home after closing time because I couldn't drive- obviously." Noah said and slowly let Luke down.

When Luke's feet touched the floor, he spun around and asked, "Why in the world would you go out drinking by yourself Noah."

"God, more questions?" Noah ran his fingers through his hair. "I gotta go to the bathroom. We can talk tonight." he said and turned around, leaving Luke dumbfounded.

Noah locked the loft's bathroom door and retched into the toilet. _'I can't tell him about Zachary and me working together! I can't tell Luke I purposely got wasted so I could put off having to tell him about my ex. He's going to be hurt and jealous and I'll probably lose his trust again. Fuck Fuck Fuck! But if he finds out some other way, I'll definitely lose his trust. I have to tell him soon. Just like I __have to tell him I lost his pictures! Damn! I need a drink!'_

~~**~~

The guests began arriving that night. Stephan was first, bringing the drinks and ice to fill the downstairs bathtub. Next, Taylor's friends arrived.

Kris answered the door, "Hi, I'm Kris, Taylor's boyfriend." He got a few smirks and giggles, then introductions were made.

"I'm Drew, Taylor's best friend. He told me about you, but not how young you are."

"I'm twenty-one." Kris said, eying the dark haired, brown eyed man named Drew.

Drew whistled. "Twenty-one. You look younger. Hm, well," He pointed to a man and a woman. "that's Todd and Jillian. They're engaged. Over here is Jon and Sabrina and they've been married for two years."

Sabrina rubbed her stomach and said, "We're expecting in three weeks."

Kris smiled and said, "Congratulations. You know, Taylor loves kids."

Jon, Sabrina's husband, said, "I know, I grew up with him. He's going to be the godfather of our baby."

"That's cool." Kris said, wondering why Taylor never said a word to him about something so significant in his life. Kris's disheartened exhalation went unnoticed. He began to wonder if Taylor was intentionally keeping things from him. He turned to another woman with a question. "Are you Drew's girlfriend?"

The girl laughed as she shared a look with Drew. "No, I'm Cassandra and with me is Amber, my girlfriend."

"Oh, sorry." Kris blushed, looking back and forth between the two women and held out his hand.

Cassandra and her girlfriend shook Kris's hand. "Donny couldn't come. He's another one of our friends. Hilary is on vacation and won't be here either. Those two standing and talking in the doorway are Derrick and Connor, and they're single."

Kris nodded absently; he was trying hard to remember all of Taylor's friends names. "So are those guys... um."

"Straight." Drew answered. "I'm not though." he moved so everyone could come inside. "Did Taylor tell you I was his first real boyfriend?"

Kris shook his head.

"Yea. Those were good times, but--" Drew was unexpectedly cut off.

"Kris." Luke said, looking around. "Hank called. Your dad is here with the food. Any sign of Taylor's parents or aunt?"

"Parents? Oh fuck." Drew muttered with his brows furrowed. He shook his head and followed the crowd to the bathroom for a beer.

Noah finally came down from the loft. He walked to Luke and Kris.

Luke was in the middle of speaking to Kris. "--and your champagne is in the fridge. Don't forget to take it when everyone leaves."

"Thanks Luke." Kris said appreciatively.

"I'm going to get a beer. Want one?" Noah pointed to Luke, then Kris. Both men shook their heads no.

Luke watched Noah walk away and said to Kris, "I wonder what is up with him?"

"Don't know." Kris shrugged.

"It looks as if everyone is here." Stephan said, walking up to the two men.

"Almost." Luke smiled, and Stephan smiled back.

"How is the book coming?" he asked.

"Great." Luke grinned. He wanted to beat his deadline and so far, he was ahead.

"Good!" Stephan said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to read it. I just know it's going to be hot." he winked, then walked away.

"Hm." Luke hummed suspiciously as he watched Stephan walk away.

"Sounds as if you have an admirer." Kris snickered and nudged Luke.

"Just a fan." Luke corrected him. A knock prompted Luke and Kris to go to the front door.

Kris's dad, Ron, and Marcus, the waiter, entered with bowls of cold salads and crock pots of hot food. After several trips, the buffet was set out on the kitchen counter. Now they just had to wait for Taylor to show- which wouldn't be long.

Kris walked around the room, listening to bits of conversations, still trying to remember names. Noah escaped to the balcony with another beer and stared at the pool water. Luke was watching Noah through the glass while he spoke to Connor about their same taste in music.

When it was close to eight, Kris politely asked everyone to quiet down so Taylor wouldn't hear them, then he turned out the lights and stationed himself at the door.

People spoke in whispers until Kris heard the key in the door. "Shhh!" he shushed the room.

The door opened, then closed. Taylor called out, "Kris baby?! Get your sweet ass--"

"Surprise!!!" the room yelled as the lights were turned on again.

Taylor looked utterly shocked. He stared at the sea of friends facing him and quickly put his suitcase down and dropped his carry on bag.

"Holy shit! What are you all doing here?" Taylor stepped into the living room, hugging friends and grinning from ear to ear. He came to Drew and kissed him. "It's so good to see you! All of you!" he said turning around. He saw Kris- a look of sadness on his face.

"Oh no. I'm up shit creek." Taylor mumbled.

"I should think so. He orchestrated this and he's your boyfriend, whom you forgot about." Drew said.

Taylor walked toward Kris, who had turned away and was walking to the bathroom.

"Hey kiddo, Kris... stop walking." Taylor whispered loudly so his friends wouldn't hear. He was beginning to get nervous, thinking Kris was going to be in one of 'those' moods while the house was full of guests. He passed the table with a large cake and read 'Happy 27th Birthday Taylor' and realized it was an early birthday party. He saw gifts against one wall of the dining room as well.

He jogged up to Kris and spun him around. Their bodies crashed together causing their lips to collide. They both sighed as their mouths parted and accepted a caress from the other's tongue. Taylor pulled Kris's hips to his own with a grunt followed by a deep moan. Their sultry kiss ended when Sabrina interrupted.

"Taylor? Happy early birthday. I just wanted you to see your godchild." Sabrina took a sonogram picture of the baby out of her purse and handed it to Taylor.

"Awww! He's so cute!" Taylor said. He handed the picture to Kris and hugged Sabrina.

Kris looked at it, squinting his eyes and said, "I think it's a girl." as he turned the picture sideways.

Taylor put his head next to Kris's and said, "No it's a boy. See his little pecker, right there?"

Kris cleared his throat as Taylor grinned and Sabrina laughed.

"It's definitely a boy. This time he cooperated and we could see the sex. His little butt was always facing outward, not this time." she said.

"Are you sure it's a boy?" Kris asked. "I mean that could be something else."

"Nope." Taylor said, "That's the stem on the apple for sure." He looked up at Sabrina and teased, "He's going to be hung like his uncle Taylor."

Sabrina laughed and said, "Keep that picture."

"Thanks!" Taylor said and took the picture.

"I'll put it in the bedroom." Kris quickly offered- he didn't want Taylor to see the blow up doll yet. In fact, Kris walked out to the living room and took Taylor's suitcase and bag to the bedroom too.

Taylor came out of the bathroom with a beer and caught Kris. "How are you?"

"Fine." Kris answered, staring at Taylor's shoes.

"I'm sorry. When I came through the front door and the lights came on, I was so overwhelmed that I totally ignored you. You know you're very important to me, right?"

"Yes, I do." Kris answered and looked up. "but you kissed Drew before you kissed me. That hurt."

Taylor held Kris's chin. "Look... ah..."

"Kris." Kris said dryly.

Taylor laughed. "You're goofy. I was trying to think of a cute name to call you."

"Cute? Cute? Not that again." Kris shook his head.

"Alright, I'll stick with kiddo."

"No, call me what you did on the phone." Kris smiled and ran his hands up and down Taylor's chest.

"Er... what was that again?" Taylor asked, honestly not remembering.

"Forget it." Kris said sadly. He really thought Taylor would remember. It had made Kris's day when Taylor called him his sweet boy.

"Kris, please? I don't want to fight. I just returned and I missed you so much. Don't torture me like this."

Kris nodded. "Sorry that I was jealous. Drew told me that he was your first boyfriend and when you came home, you forgot about me and went around the room kissing people on the cheek until you got to Drew. You kissed him on the mouth."

"But NOT how I just kissed you a few moments ago." Taylor said with a sigh.

"I know. I'm over it. I want you to go out there and have a great time." Kris said convincingly, wrapping his arms loosely around Taylor's neck before hugging him.

Marcus made a pass through the room with hors d'evours. A short while later, they ate the meal Kris's father catered for the party.

Noah had rejoined the party after a few beers, but he skipped eating. His stomach turned sour every time he thought about telling Luke about his new assignment with Zachary- and he hadn't forgotten about the pictures that had been stolen either. He stood back and let everyone mingle and talk. No one sought him out and he was fine with that. That is, until Luke walked up to him.

"Come with me, I want to introduce you to Taylor's friends as my boyfriend." Luke smiled up at Noah, but his happiness quickly disappeared when Noah said in a strong voice, "Nah, I don't want to. What's the point anyway? They're Taylor's friends and we'll probably never see them again."

"Because I'm proud of you and I want everyone to know you're mine."

"So... you want to parade me around the room? Show me off? I'm more than a piece of meat Luke." Noah balked. The alcohol buzz made him argumentative. When he was totally drunk, his behavior always turned loving and horny, but he wasn't at that stage yet. He still had 'somewhat' of a sober mind.

"Fine." Luke said, crestfallen, then he decided not to let Noah bring him down. "Be that way. Stay in the corner, or better yet, go to the loft and drink your way to a stupor. Oh, and don't tell me what's wrong either Noah. Be aloof, but I know you're hiding something, I just don't know what. Maybe when you get your act together, you'll share with me, but I'm not holding my breath."

Noah went ballistic, "Fuck you Luke. I don't need to hear this shit from you. I AM going to the loft. Have a great fucking party." his eyes burned into Luke's.

Luke grabbed Noah's arm and stopped him from leaving. "Why are you being such an asshole? I don't think I did do anything wrong. Why is it so hard for you to speak to me in a civil way? Wait, DID I do something wrong? Is that what all this drinking is about?"

"Jesus Luke! I only went out for one fucking night. It's the weekend. Can't I let loose and have fun without being questioned? God damn, you act like you think I'm an alcoholic or something."

"I don't think that! I didn't even insinuate that! Tell me what's wrong- please! I want to work this out. Can't you just talk to me?" Luke's voice was high and pleading. "Noah?" he brushed his fingers up and down Noah's bare arm.

"Not now." Noah answered, trying to keep the upper hand to push Luke away- not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. He knew he wasn't being fair and in fact he was being cruel. He looked away from Luke after seeing his concerned and caring face and gulped. "Luke, I-" he started to tell him what was wrong, but instead said in a sad voice, "I'm going upstairs for a while."

Luke let go of Noah. A hurt look crossed his face. "Ok, do what you have to do." he said with a sorrow filled voice.

The voice in Noah's head broke through, saying, 'You love this man. Stop hurting him!' Noah cracked a slight smile and leaned forward. He kissed Luke on the tip of his nose as he caressed Luke's cheek. "I love you Luke. I'm sorry for the way I'm acting."

Luke smiled again, feeling as if things were going to be alright between them. He just needed to get Noah to talk about what was on his mind. Why he was using alcohol as a crutch to forget whatever problems he was having instead of talking to him about it?

"I forgive you." Luke said. "And I love you too."

"I'm so damn lucky. You're unequivocally the kindest and bighearted person I know."

"Aw, thank you." Luke reddened with the compliment.

Noah chuckled and slid his hand to the back of Luke's neck and pulled him close again. He kissed Luke on the lips and said, "See you later."

"Ok." Luke replied and watched Noah head to the bathroom for more beer before going he went to the loft. He shook his head and found Kris, who was watching Taylor talk to a group of friends.

Kris and Luke both heard a loud knock over the chatter and the soft playing music.

"That could be his parents and aunt." Luke said to Kris.

"Oh yea! I forgot about them. Taylor is going to be so happy!" Kris said with gusto over his shoulder as he headed for the door.

Once there, Kris opened it with a smile. "Hi, you must be Tess and Catherine. Taylor's mom and aunt. And... oh, Grant. Taylor's dad?"

"I'm Tess." Taylor's mother said. She was very pretty. Her dark hair had grey strands streaked throughout, accenting the fair color of her face. Taylor definitely got his blue eyes from his mother.

"I'm Catherine, Tess's sister and Taylor's aunt." she stated. She was younger with dark hair as well, but streaked with honey colored, brown highlights.

Kris looked to Taylor's dad. He looked like Taylor, but his eyes weren't warm. His dark hair had grey at the temples and he was slightly taller than Taylor.

"I'm pleased to meet you all. Come in." Kris smiled, wondering why Taylor's father didn't speak.

"There's food in the kitchen, that way." Kris pointed. "Taylor is over by the balcony doors- over there." he pointed to his right.

"Let's go say hi." Tess said to Catherine. "Coming Grant?"

"Later, I need a drink. Kris was it?" Grant stated stiffly.

Kris nodded.

"Get me a beer or brandy. Whatever you have on hand." Grant said, studying Kris's face.

"Taylor!" Tess said and squeezed through the throng of people gathered around her son. She hugged him and said, "It's been so long! How are you?"

Taylor barely hugged her. "I'm fine. How did-?"

"Kris invited us." Tess answered. "He seems like a nice boy."

Taylor looked over his mother's shoulder. His eyes brightened. "Aunt Catherine!" he said with a huge grin and moved away from his mother.

"Damn I missed you! How have you been?" Taylor hugged his aunt tightly after giving her a kiss. "Look at you! Beautiful as always."

Catherine grinned and said, "Aw, you charmer. You're just saying that!"

Taylor chuckled and asked, "So did you meet Kris?" He raised himself up on his tip-toes and looked around the room.

"I think he's getting beer." Jon said, holding his pregnant wife's hand.

"We met him." Tess said, watching the interaction between her son and sister.

"Kris is a cutie!" Catherine exclaimed.

Taylor grinned. "Just don't call him that to his face." he chuckled, then abruptly stopped. His face became dark and brooding. "Shit! I can't believe you brought him with you." he looked at his mother with a frown.

"He's changed Taylor. We both have." Tess tried to explain, but Taylor grumbled, "I don't believe it." before he left to confront his father.

Grant saw Taylor coming at him with a scowl on his face. He braced himself for the argument that was sure to come. It had never been resolved and he was ready for it. He'd been thinking about what he'd say to Taylor and he was prepared.

"I can't believe you had the nerve to show up here Grant!" Taylor refused to call him his dad.

"How could I not come. Your mother wanted me to." he said in a gravely voice to Taylor.

They walked further into the kitchen, away from the group in the living room. Taylor turned to Grant again and spat. "I don't want you here. Take Tess and leave. Now." Taylor refused to call Tess his mother as well.

"Well, we were invited by your... **preschooler**." Grant snarled in Taylor's face.

"Shut the fuck up! Don't you talk about him. This is between you and me!" Taylor unashamedly growled back, moving closer to Grant's face.

Grant pushed him away. "Get your fucking face away from me- liar!"

"Oh you want to bring that up again?" Taylor sneered, "Ok, lets talk about it." he crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter, his brows angrily drawn together.

Grant laughed evilly. "So, your M.O. changed. You claim that MY best friend seduced you when you were fifteen, now you're dating someone who IS fifteen. Do you know how ashamed I am to have you as a son? A liar. How dare you accuse MY friend, our neighbor, of fucking you up the ass!"

"He did Grant! And how dare YOU for not believing me! I was your son first and foremost. I should have come first, not some fucking perverted neighbor that has a thing for teenagers!"

Grant grabbed Taylor's collar and narrowed his eyes. "You're just a fucking liar. You're not my son. I'm glad I kicked you out of the house. I was ecstatic when you left. Your mother and I both were! She may have forgiven you for those false accusations, but not me."

"You're a fucking asshole- you know that? A sorry excuse for a dad. How could you not believe me!" Taylor was livid. "I'm glad I went to live with Aunt Catherine. SHE believed me. She supported me! She LOVED me!"

"That's because she's a stupid bitch. You know, thinking back, maybe you seduced my friend?! He was drunk. You probably wanted it, you disgusting fag!" Grant then spat on Taylor's face.

Taylor wiped the splatter off his face. He'd never been called a fag. Much less a disgusting fag. Gay, yes, but not 'that' word. It rendered him speechless.

"Ah Ha! That's it, isn't it. You're not denying it. You wanted it, you pervert. You lured him- that is, IF this even happened at all! I bet you offered your ugly ass to him."

Taylor threw daggers at Grant through his narrowed eyes and growled low. "Leave now. Just go. I want nothing to do with you or Tess ever again. If you don't get out of my home, I'm calling the police to haul YOUR fucking ugly ass away."

Grant laughed meanly when he saw tears in Taylor's eyes. "Aw," he said condescendingly. "look at the poor baby. He can't take it. Go on and cry like the sissy you are. You'll never see me cry. I'm a MAN and you're a fucking pussy!"

"I said, get the hell-"

"Taylor?" Kris walked into the kitchen and saw Grant standing defensively, facing Taylor. "Everyone is asking about you. We want to cut the cake."

"So," Grant said to Kris. "You're Taylor's little fairy."

"What?" Kris asked, confused by Grant's statement. He didn't know if Taylor's dad was joking or not.

"Your his 'boy toy' right? Did he pick you up and suddenly turn you gay too? He seems to think everyone around him is gay." Grant clenched his teeth and glared at Kris.

"Um..."

"Don't answer that Kris." Taylor looked at Kris's innocent looking face, then back to Grant. "Leave him alone. Leave my house."

"My pleasure!" Grant stated. "It smells like 'fag' in here anyway."

Kris audibly gasped. "What is wrong with you?" he asked Grant with a stunned look on his face.

"Not a damn thing **kid**, but I know what's wrong with Taylor. He's a compulsive liar. Lies about every damn thing. The only truth he'll tell you, is that he's a queer and likes to get fucked up the ass. He probably calls his asshole his pussy doesn't he?!" He stared at Taylor with loathing in his eyes before he went to get Tess and Catherine.

Taylor remained tight lipped as what Grant said to him sunk in, affecting him instead of it rolling off his back. It was one thing to be humiliated at home when he was growing up, it was another to be humiliated in front of his boyfriend.

"Tay-" Kris began, but Taylor fled to the bathroom and shut himself inside.

Kris ran after him and knocked on the door. He put his head to it and heard Taylor crying. He was utterly shocked. He'd never heard Taylor cry in the months they've been together. It scared him.

"Taylor? Let me in, please." Kris begged anxiously as he tried the door, but it was locked. "Please?"

Taylor guzzled a beer and opened another before he grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed his eyes. He rose off the toilet lid and unlocked the door.

"What?" he asked almost silently with his nose plugged and turned away from Kris.

"What happened? What is wrong with your dad? Why did he say those things?" Kris walked to Taylor and tried to hug him.

Taylor backed away, drank his beer and took another one. "He and Tess kicked me out of the house when I was fifteen because Grant's best friend followed me into the woods one night and exposed himself to me. I was high and... certain things happened that night. By the time I was clear headed, I wished those things hadn't happen. I told Grant and Tess, but they called me a liar."

"They didn't believe you?" Kris asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

"No," Taylor said in a sorrowful tone. "they insisted that our neighbor would never do what I claimed he did. He was married with kids. Grant and Tess couldn't understand why I would accuse him. Eventually they kicked me out of the house and I went to live with my Aunt Catherine. She raised me, helped me with college and most importantly, she believed me."

"God I'm so sorry I invited them. If you had told me..."

"Whatever. It's over and hopefully they left." Taylor finished that beer too with the intention of drowning his feelings. He reached for another, but Kris stopped him.

"We have to go out and cut your cake." he insisted.

"Just one more." Taylor said and took a cold beer from the tub.

Kris watched him down that beer too, faster than the other ones. Inside, Kris was berating himself for inviting Taylor's family, but he had no idea what had happened to Taylor when he was younger. Another secret uncovered. "Exactly what did this neighbor do to you?"

Taylor sighed. "He... talked provocatively to me and I ended up sucking his dick. When I stood up, he pushed my pants down and turned me turn around, then fucked me without a condom or lube. Strike that, he used his spit, which dried up pretty fast. God. My ass hurt like hell the whole time and for a few days after that too. That's why I've never bottomed since. That experience ruined all other experiences I may have enjoyed with other men, that is, regarding me being on the bottom." Taylor shook his head dismally and continued, "Then the bastard ignored me when we went back into the house- acting like nothing happened, but I could see him glancing at me now and then with these eyes that had, like, this animalistic appetite in them. It was as if were bonded because we shared a secret, but I couldn't keep quiet. I told my parents four days later when I caught him staring at me from his side of the yard. It made me scared and very uncomfortable. I was mowing the yard or something and he was sitting on his patio chair watching me., eying me, staring...."

"Ew."

Taylor nodded. "I kept insisting that he had sex with me and that he was staring at me, giving me lust filled looks but Grant and Tess didn't believe me. They didn't even confront the bastard. A week later, they kicked me out of the house. I called my favorite aunt--"

"Catherine."

"That's right, and she took me in. Thank god, because who knows if I would have been lured over to the neighbor's house if I had stayed living next to him. I love my aunt for all she did for me. You know, I never talked to or saw Grant or Tess again, that is until tonight."

"Well, that's my fault. I'm really sorry Taylor." Kris held his arms out.

"It's ok." Taylor said, feeling the effects of the alcohol. He lost his balance as he stepped to Kris to hug him. "Mmm... my baby." Taylor nipped at Kris's neck. "My sweet boy.... I love you." he sucked on Kris's neck.

"I love that name." Kris moaned and let his head fall back. ""Uhh god... you feel so good."

"I missed you so bad." Taylor said, leaning forward, drunkenly, onto Kris. "Man, I am so fucked up drunk."

Kris grabbed the counter to set them both upright again. "I see that." Kris smiled and added, "Lets get some food into you to absorb some of that beer."

"Like your dick?" Taylor's hands ran down Kris's body as he sank to the floor. He undid Kris's pants and was about to pull them down, but a knock on the door stopped him.

"I don't think my dick is listed as a food group on the food pyramid." Kris teased, looking down at Taylor's face.

"Oh? I **know** meat and nuts are on that list" Taylor laughed, cupping Kris's crotch, then gently rubbing it.

"Hello?" Stephan called through the door while continuing to knock. "We need beer. Are you done in there?"

"Yes." Kris said as he helped Taylor up. "Lets go."

~~**~~

Noah finally came down stairs after Luke went up to retrieve him.

Kris lit the candles on the cake, then everyone sang happy birthday. Luke cut the cake and served it on the plates he and Kris picked out the other day.

Taylor used his fork to cut a small wedge off his piece, then picked it up with his fingers and said, "Open up Kris." with a silly smile.

Kris opened his mouth, anticipating the bite of cake. Taylor placed it on Kris's tongue. When Kris closed his mouth, Taylor kissed him and pushed his tongue inside, tasting chocolate and creamy frosting. "Mmm." Taylor moaned.

Kris heard clapping and some whooping and shyly backed away as he looked at Taylor's face. Taylor was looking at Kris as if undressing him, making Kris turned a few shades of red.

"Come on shy boy." Taylor teased. "Show me what you got."

"Taylor?" Jon tapped him on the shoulder. "Sabrina's getting tired. We're going to head out."

"Ok. She's driving I hope?" Taylor asked concerned.

"Yes."

Kris spoke up. "You can't go now! Taylor hasn't opened his gifts yet."

Taylor turned to Kris and said, "I'll open their gift first, so they can leave."

Jon went to get the present he and his wife picked out and came back. "Here you go bud. Hope you like them." he said with a smile and handed over the gift.

"Thanks Jon and Sabrina." Taylor said, slurring his words. He opened the gift and grinned. "Wow! Thanks! Four cds."

"They're all your favorite." Sabrina said with a yawn. "Ooh! Taylor come here. Give me your hand." she put Taylor's hand on her large belly. "Just wait."

Taylor tilted his head while he waited. "Hey! He either punched me or kicked me."

"He probably kicked you." Jon stated with a smile at his wife.

"Kris, you should feel my godson." Taylor said and took Kris's hand, laid it on Sabrina's belly, and put his hand over Kris's. "Wait for it." he said near Kris's ear.

"Whoa!" Kris said, quickly pulling his hand away. "Doesn't that hurt?" he asked Sabrina, who laughed.

She answered, "Not at all. It felt funny at first, but I'm used to it now. I'm going to miss that feeling after he's born though."

Taylor looked at her belly with awe. "I wish it was mine. I love babies. You should have one for me."

"Uh, Taylor." Jon said with a smirk. "Not a chance."

Taylor pouted and put his arm around Kris's shoulders. "Kris is going to be of no help in that department." Taylor laughed and squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Adopt." Sabrina suggested as Amber and Cassandra joined the conversation.

"Adopt what? A puppy?" Amber asked slinging her blond hair over her shoulder.

"A child." Kris answered, unsure if Taylor was serious; after all, he was drunk.

"Go out and get some woman pregnant." Jon suggested with a smirk.

"No, she'd want to keep the baby once she saw how beautiful he is since he'd look just like me." Taylor laughed.

Kris looked at Taylor and asked with one eyebrow raised, "You'd do that? Get a girl pregnant? Are you bisexual and I don't know it?"

The group laughed. "Taylor is as gay as they come Kris." Amber laughed before grabbing her girlfriends hand. "I once tried to kiss him in the 5th grade and he told me girls are gross and he'd rather kiss a boy than me."

"Did not." Taylor snickered.

"Oh you know you did." Derrik added to the conversation. He looked at Kris and said, "In 6th grade he and Mike Johnson were playing in the sand, under the slide during recess, and we all saw him kiss Mike- a peck on the lips."

Connor started to laugh. "Shit! I forgot about that! Poor Mike ran away wiping his mouth and screaming!"

The group laughed.

Derrick continued, "He never played with you again. He steered clear of you all through high school too!"

Drew stood on the other side of Taylor and said, "Taylor kissed me too. Freshman year- after he got kicked out of his house. We dated for a while. Say," he looked at Taylor. "what happened anyway?"

Taylor shrugged and said, "We were more like friends than boyfriend's. Even though everyone thought we were dating."

"I'm sorry to interrupt this intriguing conversation, but Sabrina and I really have to leave." Jon stated.

Hugs were exchanged as well as promises to keep in touch. Taylor finished opening the rest of his gifts, thanking everyone for making his early birthday one to remember.

A short time after that, Stephan, Derrick and Connor, and Todd and Jillian left, leaving Amber, Cassandra and Drew.

Noah, as drunk as he was, was still able to stand up. He asked Taylor, "Why don't you get a surrogate?"

"Costs too much." Taylor shook his head.

"Do you really want a baby now?" Kris asked his boyfriend.

"Yea Taylor! Why do you want a baby when you've got one on your arm." Noah laughed, receiving a jab in the ribs from Luke.

"Cool it." Luke muttered to his boyfriend.

Taylor was the only other person that laughed, then he put his finger to his lips and said, "Shhh! He doesn't like being called that. Same with calling him 'cute'." Taylor giggled along with Noah.

Kris stayed silent, licking his lips as he looked to Luke for help. His eyes pled for Luke to do or say something. Luckily someone else did.

"Taylor," Cassandra said. "Come talk to me and Amber." She led him into the kitchen as Drew faced Kris.

"I'm going to take Noah up to bed." Luke said, now that Taylor had gone. He wanted to remove Noah because he didn't want Kris to be the brunt of anymore of his jokes, besides, Noah seemed like he was about to pass out.

"Thanks for everything Luke." Kris smiled and watched him urge Noah to raise his leg to step up the stairs.

"So, how long have you been with Taylor." Drew asked Kris with a tinge of jealousy.

"Almost five months." Kris answered.

"That's a pretty long time." Drew snickered. "Of course his longest relationship lasted a few years."

"Really?"

"Oh yea. During college he dated Gavin Fields. When they graduated, Gavin moved to Philadelphia to begin his job. Taylor was heartbroken."

Kris muttered, "But I'm sure you were there for him."

Drew nodded. "All of us were. He was a mess, but you know, he never broke down. I don't think it was a real break up, but more of a separation. Gavin planned to move after he graduated and Taylor chose to stay here. At one time, there was talk of an engagement, but Gavin didn't want to stay and Taylor didn't want to move. They were amicable and were still friends when Gavin left."

"You don't like me, do you?" Kris met Drew's eyes as he whispered, "Why?"

Drew tapped his finger on his own lips. "It's not that I don't like you. It's that you act younger than you are. Besides that, what can you really offer Taylor except a piece of ass?"

Kris's mouth dropped open. "I'm not just that!"

"He's just filling in until **you** find someone who's your own age, right? You'll find someone who wants to party all night long and not settle down. You know, Taylor is pretty grounded and you're young. You'll get tired of him, then cheat on him and leave."

"I will not!" Kris asserted with his hands on his hips. "I love him."

"So do I! He's my best friend and I don't want to see him fucked up because you," he tapped Kris's chest. "can't handle a serious relationship. You don't know what you want, do you?"

"I--"

"See!" Drew said. "I only want what's best for Taylor. I refuse to watch you bring him down when you start two timing around behind his back."

"I wouldn't!" Kris said forcefully.

Drew shook his head. "Then you'll just dump him for some other guy I suppose? What do you even do Kris? Do you work or go to school?"

"I'm not going to dump him and I'm going to college next month."

"Really, what for?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't decided." Kris muttered.

"I see. So you're indecisive. Hm. Could be a pattern. Do you love Taylor or don't you? Maybe you're in love with the thought of being in love." Drew shook his finger at Kris. "I bet that's it."

"No!" Kris shook his head hard. "I love him. I'm IN love with him and you can't tell me otherwise."

"Alright, calm down." Drew raised his hand defensively. "I'm just watching Taylor's back, that's all."

"Well, I don't appreciate being given the third degree. You said some mean things, Drew, and I don't care if you are Taylor's best friend, I don't like you." Kris turned away and left Drew chuckling.

Drew had to admit he hadn't liked Kris at first because he seemed so quiet and not very social, but Kris had stood up to him and Drew felt that was admirable. Kris was very adamant about being in love with Taylor and Drew could see that Kris was extremely serious about Taylor. The young guy would definitely keep Taylor on his toes.

Kris walked into the kitchen, seeing Cassandra whispering in Taylor's ear. Taylor laughed and hugged her, then gave her a kiss.

Amber was smiling when she turned and saw Kris. "Hi." she greeted him.

"Hi." Kris replied, sounding down.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Amber asked, wrapping a long, tan arm around his shoulders.

Drew entered the kitchen and answered for Kris, "I asked him a few questions and pissed him off."

"Aw." Amber pinched Kris's cheek. He turned his head away from her and stepped back before rubbing his cheek.

"You're adorable." Amber grinned.

"Hey, stop hitting on my man." Taylor said from within Cassandra's embrace.

"Uh Taylor?" Amber said, "Totally not my type. He's got no boobs and he has too much junk in his underwear."

"I know." Taylor wiggled his eyebrows. "All that junk is MINE."

Drew took a deep breath though his nose and walked to Taylor. "I'm going to go." and hugged his friend tightly. Taylor kissed him and said, "Thanks for everything."

"Girls? Are you heading out too." Drew asked while his arm was still wrapped around Taylor's waist.

"Yes." Amber said, fixing her hair. "Let's go Cassie."

Drew and Taylor walked to the front door talking and laughing. Cassandra and Amber followed and Kris tailed behind, keeping his eyes on Drew's hand. If it went lower than the small of Taylor's back, he was ready to bust up Drew's face.

Drew turned to Taylor and hugged him again. "It was great to see you. You have to come back to San Marino and visit for a weekend. We'll all get together and go out dancing again."

"Yea!" Amber shouted. "It's been forever since we've seen you. Good thing you're little friend here invited us. What a doll." she said of Kris.

"He is a doll isn't he?" Taylor looked hungrily at Kris. He turned to the women and hugged them as well. "Alright everyone- get. I have a hot body right there to ravish." He pointed a finger at his boyfriend.

Kris bit his bottom lip and looked down when Drew snickered.

Drew announced, "I think Kris is a little embarrassed." then he addressed Kris with a smirk, "Think you can handle Taylor, kid? I hear he's an animal in bed."

Everyone looked at Kris and waited for him to say something. Kris paused before he answered sternly, "Yes, I can handle him! Every single inch!"

"Oooh, that sounds like a proposition." Taylor grabbed Kris around the waist and spun him around, crotch to crotch.

The women giggled at Kris's admission, while Drew narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I hope you're making him happy." Drew said to Kris.

"Oh he makes me VERY happy." Taylor said drunkenly, kissing Kris's exposed throat.

"Good." Drew said, giving Kris a warning look. Kris saw the look and took it as a forewarning that if he broke Taylor's heart, Drew would come after him.

Kris furrowed his brow and said, "I KNOW I make him happy and he makes me happy. He's all I want- forever!"

Drew nodded, grateful that Kris stood up to him once again. He decided he truly liked Kris. He held out his hand to shake Kris's hand. Kris hesitantly held his out and grasped Drew's hand.

Drew pulled Kris close and hugged him before whispering in his ear. "I respect you Kris and I trust you. Sorry I had to grill you like that, but like I said, I'm just looking out for Taylor."

"Could've fooled me." Kris said back to Drew and pulled away. "But thanks. I'm glad you approve."

Drew gave him the thumbs up sign and smiled. "Bye you two. Have fun. Come on girls."

"Bye- bye." Taylor waved and gave the brightest smile to his friends.

Kris turned around after he shut the front door and locked it.

"We're alone, pretty much." Kris said, looking at the loft.

"Bedroom. Sex. Now." Taylor grabbed Kris's hand and swayed as he pulled him to the bedroom.

"What the fuu--" Taylor said when he entered the room. He turned to Kris and began to laugh. "Did he keep you **company** while I was gone?"

Kris watched Taylor pick up 'Mr. Stud' and laughed. "No. I got him for you. It's just a prank gift for your birthday. Oh My God! What are... you doing?" he asked, completely shocked.

Taylor chuckled and opened his mouth. His tongue emerged and licked the dolls plastic shaft. "What do you think I'm doing?" Taylor asked and promptly sucked the doll's dick into his mouth, pulling his head back and forth while he moaned seductively.

Kris couldn't believe what he was witnessing. His breath quickened and he felt his groin grow warm, lastly he felt his cock enlarging. _'Damn that's hot. Watching Taylor suck off a dick.'_

He watched Taylor's tongue lick the doll's balls and grew somewhat concerned. _'Wait.... am I seriously jealous of a doll?'_

"Taylor stop. I have another gift for you." Kris said, leaving the room to get the champagne and the ring. In the other bedroom, he retrieved the white velvet box and put it in his front pocket. In the kitchen, he undid the bottle of alcohol and grabbed two glasses, then walked back to the bedroom.

"I found some gummy bears on the dresser." Taylor smiled before he kissed Kris's lips.

"No, they're not bears. Look closer."

Taylor picked up the bag and laughed. "Penis's! I'll definitely suck on them. Champagne! I'll take a glassful." he said and took the glasses out of Kris's hand, holding them out. Kris poured the sweet, bubbly drink and took his glass. He toasted Taylor. "To you, my boyfriend and best friend. Happy early birthday." he smiled before he clinked his glass to Taylor's and took a sip.

"This next toast is to you." Taylor raised his glass again. "For being understanding, and.... loving and lovable... uh... and... for being... a hot piece of ass..... and... er... having a tasty, juicy, big cock." Taylor chuckled.

"You're so drunk you can't even think." Kris laughed.

"I know!" Taylor full out belly laughed and finished his glass of champagne. "Get naked." he said in an urgent, low voice.

Kris decided Taylor's last gift could wait. He peeled the clothes from his body as fast as humanly possible before he helped Taylor discard his clothes.

They laid on the bed, facing each other before leaning towards each other to kiss. Kris ran his hand lightly across the dark hair on Taylor's chest, simultaneously feeling Taylor's fingers tangling in his hair.

"So beautiful." Taylor murmured on Kris's soft lips. "My beautiful boy."

Kris smiled and reached lower.

"Um, Kris.... don't get mad, I'm really fucking horny for you, but I'm too drunk to fuck." Taylor whispered, kissing Kris's ear.

Kris's hopes plummeted. "Oh."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be with you tonight, but all that shit with my family... then I kept drinking... sorry. I'm really sorry Kris."

"It's ok, I guess." Kris looked into Taylor's eyes, feeling disappointed that he wouldn't be able to make love with his boyfriend.

Taylor saw the anguish in his boyfriend's eyes. "Kris," he spoke quietly, "you wanna fuck me?"

Kris sat up and sucked in his bottom lip. "I- I don't know. You said you'd never let anyone do that to you since your neighbor..."

"I know. You're different though." Taylor rubbed Kris's thigh affectionately, feeling the soft blond hair under his hand. "I want you to."

"Are you sure? I never-"

"I know. I can talk you through it. Please?" Taylor begged with his eyes. "I want to feel you inside me."

Kris hitched his breath. "Shhhit..." he said, getting more turned on.

Taylor grasped Kris's dick and pumped it. "Come on sweet boy, get me ready for this big, fucking, hot cock."

"Alright!" Kris said loudly and enthusiastically as he rose off the bed to get the lube.

He wet his fingers and deliberately teased Taylor's heated opening. He heard Taylor hiss a gasp through his teeth and stopped what he was doing between Taylor's legs.

"Am I hurting you?" Kris looked up.

"Ahh God no. I'm not feeling any pain, just pleasure. Keep moving your fingers." Taylor wiggled his hips, encouraging his boyfriend.

Kris held his breath as he slowly inserted a fingertip. He remembered how Taylor first made love to him so he was sure he knew what he was doing, but he was still frightened that he'd hurt Taylor like the neighbor had.

Taylor sighed forcefully as Kris's finger delved deeper. "G-G-GOD!"

"Is this ok?" Kris asked, twisting his finger side to side, loosening the entrance.

Taylor closed his eyes. "Ohhh-Ohhhshhhit! Kris..."

Kris added more lube and another finger.

"AH... Uhh..." Taylor looked at his adorable boyfriend through the haze of a drunken buzz. He licked his lips seductively and moaned. "That's it kiddo, keep going. Yea... more,more,more. Uhhhmm."

Kris went slow and easy. His cock was twitching, just waiting to push inside Taylor's enticing hole. It was so warm in there and the muscles clasping down on his fingers made Kris eager.

"Ok, pull them in and out, slowly at first." Taylor gasped, then whimpered when Kris complied.

Kris watched how the stimulation from his fingers inside his boyfriend made Taylor moan and groan. He increased the speed of his motions and became even more aroused when the sounds coming from Taylor's mouth grew louder before his body shuddered.

"Ohhh... damn that's good. I'm- I'm ready..." Taylor said dispelling Kris's anxiety with his words and a big smile.

Kris shivered in anticipation. He removed his fingers before he shyly said, "Spread your legs."

Taylor opened them wider. "How's that? Like the view?" he chuckled.

"You're gorgeous." Kris stated, staring in awe at the body before him. "I love you."

"Love you too." Taylor said with a small smirk. "Whatchya waiting for?"

"You." Kris answered, averting his eyes from Taylor's wet opening, to his flushed chest, then meeting his impassioned blue eyes.

"Hmm... me huh? Ok, I want you. I need you. Put the head of your cock at my hole and plunge into the wet warmth of me." Taylor chuckled. "Is that enough of an invitation?"

Kris snickered and added lube, more than what was needed, and grabbed his erection as he moved between Taylor's legs. Taylor raised his legs high and put them over Kris's shoulders. Kris put a pillow under Taylor's ass to raise it to his level.

Taylor breathed, "Enter me."

Kris moved forward until he felt the warmth of Taylor's opening touching the tip of his cock. He groaned and energetically prodded Taylor's hole before getting his cockhead inside.

Taylor's eyes widened, savoring the rush of pleasure that Kris released inside him.

Kris panted breathlessly. The feeling of being this close to Taylor, inside him, was incredible.

"That look... on your face." Taylor gasped as Kris continued driving his hardness inside. "So sexy. This feels amazing... awesome. Faster... I think I'm getting hard."

Kris looked down and smiled. "Yes! You are!"

"See what you do to me? Even when I'm sloshed you can give me a boner. God uhhh... faster. Give me what you've got. Move those hips."

"UUHH!" Kris grunted as he felt things he'd never felt before sparking and awakening his body.

~~**~~

Kris collapsed, breathing heavily on top of Taylor and buried his face in his neck. He didn't care that he'd get sticky with Taylor's cum. He relished being bonded to Taylor that way.

Taylor wrapped his arms around Kris and squeezed Kris's waist AND his cock, which was slowly slipping out as it retracted from his hole. "Damn Kris... I.... just... fuck."

Kris laughed softly into Taylor's ear and kissed it. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me! I'm thanking YOU!" Taylor chuckled as he palmed Kris's ass. "You made me feel wonderful and safe and comfortable. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He brought Kris's head up and cradled his face. He stared long and hard at Kris with devotion and love before engaging him in a powerful kiss.

Kris laid his head on Taylor's shoulder and sighed contentedly. "I better get a towel. Oh, and I have one more gift for you."

Taylor raised his head. "Really? You've done so much already, but I love gifts so get it!" he grinned, slowly raising his body to lean against the headboard.

Kris rose from the bed and quickly ran to the bathroom in case Luke or Noah had come downstairs for something. He didn't want his roommates to see him naked. He quickly washed his dick and chest, wet a towel for Taylor, then ran back into the bedroom and retrieved the white velvet box containing the ring with their names engraved on it from his pants pocket. He held it behind his back and tossed the towel to Taylor.

Taylor wiped his stomach and abdomen and put the towel between his legs. "Well Krissy?" he asked as his eyes fought to stay open.

"My mom is the only one allowed to call me that." Kris said with a smile, sitting on the edge of the bed facing Taylor.

"Alright... Krissy." Taylor laughed and held his hand out.

"Ok." Kris blew out a long breath through his puckered lips. Nervously, he brought the box from out behind him and planted it on Taylor's upturned hand.

Taylor blinked a few times as he studied the box, then looked up at Kris with his brows drawn together in question and wonder. "Kris--?"

"Open it." Kris smiled delicately.

Taylor's gaze drifted back to the box in his hand. "You know what? I'm really tired and I can barely keep my eyes op--"

"Please?" Kris asked desperately.

"Um--"

Kris was near the point of tears because he sensed that Taylor didn't want to look inside. He was sure Taylor was going to hate his gift now. He moved forward to grab it out of Taylor's hand. "Give it to me then if you don't want it." He yelled angrily.

"No, you gave it to me." Taylor insisted, raising his hand high and scooted away. "It's mine."

"You don't want it! I can tell. You know what it is and you don't want to open it and hurt my feelings. Well guess what! I'm an adult and I can handle it! Give it back to me and I'll take it back to the jeweler." He launched his body forward and landed across Taylor's torso.

"Let me see it anyway." Taylor said, wrestling Kris. He maneuvered his boyfriend until he was on top, straddling him. He looked at Kris and smirked. "I win." he stated and opened the lid. He gasped when he initially saw the white gold ring, then just stared it. "Beautiful." he said, taking it out of the box and turning it. "Aww... I love the inscription. It's very sweet Kris." He leaned down and kissed his boyfriend.

"So, you like it?" Kris asked sheepishly.

"Yes of course I do. Thank you."

"Um, are you going to wear it?" Again, Kris asked in a nervous manner as he stared at Taylor's face for a reaction.

Taylor held the ring between his finger and thumb. "Uh, well... hey, do you like kids?"

"What?" Kris asked, his face showed that he was confused. He wondered if Taylor even knew what he was saying as drunk as he was.

"Kids." Taylor said impatiently.

"Sure. I like kids. Why?" Kris cocked his head to the side.

"Well I was talking to Cassandra, or rather, she was talking to me. She and Amber had decided a while ago that Cassandra would be willing to try artificial insemination with my sperm and her egg. They brought it up tonight, so I just wanted to know if you would mind having a kid around. If you hate kids, well our relationship wouldn't really be ideal."

"Kids are ok." He shrugged. _'Doesn't it take nine months for the baby to come? Artificial insemination can take a few tries before it actually works. Why is he even asking me this now? I should be comforted, at least it shows that he's pretty sure we'll be together in a year or so from now. Good!'_

"Ok Kris, I've decided." Taylor looked into Kris's eyes. "Yes. I will wear the ring you gave me." He slid it on his ring finger and held his hand out. The light caught it and it shone brightly. "I love it." Taylor grinned. "It's perfect."

"I was worried you wouldn't like it. Especially when I handed you the box. You sort of freaked out on me." Kris reached up and pulled Taylor down onto himself. "I love you."

"Love you." Taylor said and kissed Kris.


	24. Chapter 24

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 24 (a long one)

SUMMARY: Taylor recounts some of last night, (his party) Noah talks to Luke and Kris is supposed to apply for college over the internet. Mostly fluff and sex. sorry

RATED/WARNING: R for Non-Nuke situation, swearing, innuendos.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of me- september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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The following morning, Kris met Luke in the kitchen- their hungover boyfriends were still in bed. The coffee maker just finished making a pot of hot caffeine while Kris began to pour himself a small glass of orange juice.

"You cleaned up the place?" Kris looked around, seeing that the remnants of the party were gone. "Thanks Luke!"

"Yeah, no problem. I couldn't sleep anyway." Luke replied.

"How was your night?" Kris asked Luke. "Is Noah alright?"

Luke took a mug out of the cabinet and turned. "Oh yea. I'm sure he'll be fine by the time he gets up. We have some talking to do, so I think we'll leave and go somewhere to be alone."

Kris sipped his juice before he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Luke pursed his lips in thought. "No, sorta, I don't know."

"Got it. You don't want to say." Kris replied and stretched.

"It's not that I don't want to say, Kris. It's that I don't know what's going on with him." Luke stated, studying Kris's face. "How was your night?"

Kris's grin was huge as he blushed and looked down. "Taylor let me... you know."

Luke gazed at Kris, puzzled. "Let you? Blow him? I thought you two would have gone that far already."

"We have." Kris's face flushed a deeper pink. "I meant that he let me-"

"Top?" Luke asked with a small smile, receiving a small nod from Kris in return.

"Congratulations! You deserve a hug." Luke embraced Kris and hugged him tightly.

"Th-Thanks." Kris said, wondering if Luke was being serious or not.

"Ohhh g-g-god... my head." Noah moaned, meandering through the kitchen in his underwear with his eyes half open. "Coffee."

Luke chuckled. He took another mug off the shelf and poured Noah a cup of the hot liquid.

"Sugar." Noah closed his eyes as his head pounded, making him feel as though his eyes would pop out of his skull. He needed to rid the taste of stale beer in his mouth as well.

"Aspirin."

Again, Luke reached into a cupboard, shook two tablets into his hand, and gave them to Noah.

"Water." Noah murmured, holding his head with one hand, suppressing the feeling of wanting to vomit. "Hurry."

Luke scrambled around the kitchen, getting a glass, ice and cold water, then he handed it to Noah. He and Kris watched Noah swallow the pills with a sip of water and set the glass on the counter.

"Take your coffee and sit at the table." Luke stated. "I'll make breakfast. You need to eat something."

Noah groaned again as he made his way to the table.

"Oh man. I hope Taylor isn't that bad." Kris said, watching Noah walk heavily and clumsily to the dining room. "He looks like he's in so much pain."

"Just a headache and probably nausea." Luke eyed Noah and shook his head. He had to get this problem, IF it was a problem, resolved today. Noah had been acting strange and he wanted to know why.

"Oh! How did Taylor like the friendship ring you gave him?" Luke asked with a smile. He knew Kris was really excited about giving it to Taylor, but a bit apprehensive too.

"Luke, he loved it! He put it on and said it was beautiful!" Kris sighed with the memory of last night. "It was perfect. The whole night was, except the part where his parents came." Kris proceeded to tell Luke bits and pieces of that story as they made breakfast together, but still kept discreet about what happened in Taylor's past.

"He seemed ok after his parents left. His Aunt must have really been a great influence on him." Luke replied, picking up his coffee mug and taking a sip.

Kris's whole face lit up and shone when he smiled. Luke turned to see why and saw Taylor come into the kitchen looking ragged. "Oh boy." Luke muttered.

Kris quickly poured a cup of coffee for Taylor and led him to the table where Noah was. "Here," Kris said pulling out a chair. "Have a seat. Luke and I made breakfast."

Taylor whispered, "I can smell it. Kris, I really don't want to eat. I just threw up my spleen."

"Oh. Ok, well do you want some aspirin?" Kris asked, sitting in the chair next to Taylor. He heard a soft thud and saw that Noah had dropped his forehead on the table.

"I'm going to die!" Noah claimed as he pounded his fist on the table.

Taylor grimaced and covered Noah's hand with his own. "Stop." he said, squeezing his eyes shut. "No Kris. I don't want anything, thanks anyway. I think I'll drink this and go back to bed if you don't mind. I have to sleep this off."

"I understand." Kris smiled, combing his fingers through Taylor's mussed up hair.

"Did... ahh..." Taylor asked, sounding like he was in great pain. "you tell Luke and Noah yet?"

"About what?" Kris asked innocently.

"What.... you gave me...uugghh... for my birthday." Taylor replied putting his hands on either side of his head and holding it.

"Only Luke." Kris said just as his roommate came from the kitchen with plates and silverware.

"I guess I'll tell... Noah then." Taylor tapped the back of Noah's head, prompting Noah to lift it and look at him through one eye.

"Yea?"

Taylor held out his hand and gave Noah a quick smile through his pain. He showed Noah the ring and said, "Kris and I are engaged."

Kris and Luke gasped and looked at each other. Noah scrunched up his face and asked, "Isn't it a little early for that?"

"Not for me. I'm ready and Kris wouldn't have asked if he wasn't ready. Right kiddo?" Taylor turned to Kris for an answer, but Kris was too shocked to answer.

"So he proposed?" Noah asked, looking at Kris, then Taylor. "I didn't think he had the gonads."

"Well..." Taylor thought back to last night. "I think he did... he must have because I'm wearing the ring."

Luke grabbed Kris and pulled him into the living room. He faced Kris and said, "I thought you said that was just a friendship ring? How did this get so messed up?"

Kris shrugged, feeling like he couldn't breath. "I don't know! I gave him the ring, then he.... asked me some questions about kids. I asked him if he was going to wear the ring and he said yes. Luke, he was so wasted. I don't think he knows what happened."

Luke nodded. "You need to tell him. No one proposes to someone who is drunk. He should know that. Maybe he will realize it later when he feels better and his memory surfaces."

"I think he'll remember." Kris said with a nod, agreeing with Luke.

"Kris?" Taylor called into the living room, interrupting Luke and Kris's conversation.

"Coming." Kris said, walking back to the dining room. He bent behind Taylor and kissed the top of his head. "What is it?"

"Help me... to bed?" he asked.

"Sure." Kris said, helping Taylor up with an arm circling his waist to steady him. "Do you need to stop at the bathroom? How is your stomach?"

"Just want to... sleep."

Kris helped Taylor into bed and covered him with a sheet before he kissed his cheek. "Sleep tight." he smiled at Taylor.

"Wait, last night... did we... did... you top me?" Taylor asked with his forehead wrinkled.

Kris nodded shyly. Taylor didn't remember? Did Taylor feel like Kris took advantage of him- like the neighbor? Taylor had been fifteen and high and not in his right mind when the neighbor fucked him, now he had been drunk, and again- not in his right mind, when Kris had.

Kris covered his mouth as the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh my god!" he said in a high pitched voice, causing Taylor to flinch.

"Shhh.." Taylor whispered. "Thank god! I thought it was all a dream. You were so good Kris. Thanks."

"Really? Are you sure?" Kris asked insecurely.

"Mm-Hm. Now I have to rest. See you later." Taylor turned on his side and closed his eyes.

"Love you."

"Mmm, me too." Taylor mumbled.

Kris closed the bedroom door and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of sausage out of the frying pan and ate bit into it. As he entered the dining room, he saw Luke and Noah standing close to each other.

"I want... I **have** to know. Either tell me or we're through. I have been tolerant so far, but this is it. I'm sick of not being included in your life. You only tell me things I want to hear and things you want me to know. Fess up Noah." Luke said in Noah's face.

"Come on Luke." Noah rolled his head back.

"No! YOU come on. We're going for a ride. I'm driving. Get your keys so I can drop you off at KC's Bar and Grille. You can drive your truck home afterwards."

Noah sighed angrily. "Can't we wait until I feel better?"

"No." Luke stated adamantly.

Noah rolled his blue eyes, huffed, and went to the loft to get dressed.

"He sounds like he's in a bad way." Kris commented on Noah's behavior.

"You think HE'S in a bad way? You don't know me very well do you?" Luke stated, staring into Kris's eyes. "What are you going to do while Taylor is out like a light?"

"I don't know. Watch tv?" Kris shrugged.

"Nope. You're going online to register for college, then you'll choose some classes that interest you."

Kris balked, "What? I'm not-"

"Yes. You. Are." Luke reached up and tucked a stray hair behind Kris's ear. "Now that you're engaged, you need to bring home some bacon too." Luke teased.

"I don't want to pick classes." Kris grumbled.

"Just do it! Grow up. You need to become more self reliant. You don't want Taylor to have to take care of you, do you?" Luke explained. "He doesn't want that job. He wants someone who is an equal."

"I know, you're right" Kris agreed. "Ok. Can I use your computer upstairs?"

"Sure, it's on. Just don't delete any documents or anything else, ok?" Luke replied.

"No problem. I'll make sure not to do anything to harm your computer." Kris smiled.

"Ready." Noah said, silently walking up to Luke, then stood next to him.

Luke replied, "Me too." with an apprehensive, indrawn breath. Today he wanted answers and if he didn't get them, then Noah was history. No ifs, ands, or buts. "Lets go." He gazed at Noah before he said goodbye to Kris.

Luke drove around, looking for somewhere to park that wasn't too crowded. A place where they could talk without causing a scene- if there was to be a scene. Luke didn't know, but with Noah's secrecy, he was assuming there would be a fair amount of yelling going on.

"Where are we going?" Noah asked, disinterestedly. "What do we need to talk about? Why are you doing this? Can't we just talk at the loft, I'm so friggin' tired Luke." Noah put his elbow on the lip of the window and rested his head on his hand.

"We're going..... how about that park where we had the picnic? It's nice and quiet there."

"On a friggin' Sunday? Good luck finding peace and quiet among a hundred kids and their parents!" Noah rose his voice. "Let's go home. I'm not in the mood to talk. I want to sleep."

"NO!" Luke yelled with a pained face. "I want to know what the hell is going on! Right Now!" Luke glanced at Noah before he pulled into a parking lot. He braked hard in the back of the lot- away from other cars and turned the key, shutting off the engine. He turned to Noah and stared at him. Noah stared back, but lost his nerve and looked away with a loud frustrated, irritated sigh.

"Noah." Luke said in a calm, quiet voice. "Did something happen? Did you...."_'I can't ask him. Yes, I have to! I have to know.'_

Luke blurted rapidly, "Did you cheat on me?" He quickly looked out his window so he didn't have to see the look on Noah's face. The ashamed look that said 'yes I did'.

"No! I would never cheat on you Luke." Noah answered, taking Luke's trembling hand and holding it. "Look at me."

Slowly, Luke faced Noah. Noah swallowed with difficulty and licked his lips.

Luke was still very concerned because clearly there was something wrong. "Tell me." Luke said with a whisper, so tiny, so small.

"Please understand."

"I can't unless you tell me." Luke worried his forehead as his fingers laced with Noah's long ones. They sat like that for a few minutes until Noah nodded and started to tap his foot nervously on the car mat.

Luke felt like he was about to cry. What could be worse than Noah cheating on him? He gasped and pulled his hand away from Noah's grasp. "You want to break up with me so you can date Zachary right? Oh god! I should have--"

"No!"

"seen this coming!" Luke hung his head and finished, "I won't stop you Noah."

"No, no. You have it all wrong." Noah pulled Luke to his chest and held him. "It's ok. Don't cry."

"Then what is it Noah?" Luke squeaked out. "Why are you getting drunk? What can't you tell me? I don't feel close to you anymore. You'd rather be drunk than talk to me. We're starting to drift apart. Your so moody. I don't understand. Please help me understand Noah. Just say it. Say what's on your mind." Luke's tears dripped down his face as he held Noah tighter, hoping all would be fine in a few minutes.

"You better sit up." Noah said, releasing Luke from his arms. He ran a hand down his face as he let out a big breath through his mouth. What he was going to confess was going to pain Luke more than his pounding headache was hurting him.

Noah pressed his lips together before he spoke. He couldn't look at Luke, so he set his hands on his lap and stared at them. He cleared his throat and began.

"First I want you to know I love you more than anything. I know I've said it before, but it's true."

Luke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and kept silent. Noah seemed to be working up to something and he didn't want to interrupt or make Noah lose track of what he was about to say.

"Luke? I've been put in a position.... My boss... Jesus..." Noah rubbed his temples.

Luke squirmed in his seat. This was some sick kind of torture, he just knew it. Noah was stalling for a reason. It must be bad, but what was it? He was impatiently waiting for Noah to come clean, to clear the air. Why was it taking so long? Luke decided to hold his breath until Noah spoke, otherwise he felt he'd explode and yell and shout and go ape-shit on him, or not, he could have a mental breakdown like he had before.

Noah glanced at Luke and smiled warily with a frightened look in his eyes. "Ok." he breathed out and again, looked away. "My boss is demanding that I work with Zachary. I'm his photographer Luke. She pretty much insinuated that if I don't work with him, that's it for me. I wouldn't be working there. So, I've been working with him and I drank for that reason and because...."

Luke finally exhaled. The color came back to his face and he felt somewhat relieved because it was out. Now they could talk and figure things out. "Noah, I--"

"That's not all Luke." Noah mumbled, humiliated. "I carry a portfolio of pictures in my camera bag. Your pictures. They were stolen, taken out of my bag at work."

Luke paled. His voice shook when he questioned Noah because he already had a hunch he knew the answer to his question, but he wanted confirmation, "Which pictures?"

Noah shook his head. "I'm so damn stupid." he continued to mumble. "I'm really sorry Luke. I don't know who took them or what happened to them. I don't even know if--"

"Shut up!" Luke spoke up angrily. "What pictures?"

Noah looked up and saw how angry Luke was. He winced after his voice broke. "The ones.... The ones I took when you were drunk. In your jeans, and in your black underwear, and when you were... naked." Noah closed his eyes and felt a hard slap across his face.

"How dare you!" Luke yelled, the tendons and veins in his neck appeared. "How dare you not tell me! This has to do with ME not just you! I knew you were hiding something big! I had to FORCE you to tell me! When were you going to tell me on your own?" Then Luke closed his mouth. He hadn't told Noah that he was receiving these same pictures in the mail with dirty propositions written on the back of them. He had hoped it was Noah's doing, but apparently it wasn't.

Noah's hand raised and held his stinging cheek. "Christ Luke! Why did you hit me!"

"Sorry. It was an impulse." Luke said, embarrassed that someone he didn't know was looking at him, or rather, his pictures and getting off on them. Not only that, but this person knew who he was and Luke had no clue who he was up against.

"Yea, well next time warn me." Noah grumbled, then said more calmly, "Luke, that's not all. There's more I have to tell you. I want to totally come clean."

"Fine, but first, who took the pictures from your bag?" Luke inquired, his eyes showed optimism and hope that Noah could tell him so he could be done with this guy.

"I don't really know." Noah admitted. "It happened at work. A lot of people had access to my bag. I'm really sorry."

"Great." Luke lowered his gaze. "Some pervert has naked pictures of me." he said and covered his eyes with his hand. "Shit."

"I know and I'm sorry." Noah watched Luke. He felt bad for him. He knew Luke had to be feeling vulnerable.

"Did you call the police? Inform your boss? Ask around to see if anyone knows anything?" Luke lifted his head as he spoke. Looking at Noah, he asked, squinting his eyes, "Did you ask Zachary?"

"Yes, I asked him and I'm sure he didn't take them. I didn't want to involve the police because I wanted to spare you from more embarrassment." Noah tilted his head back to place it on the head rest before he muttered, "Sorry."

Luke looked at him, discouraged, and asked, "What's the other so-called 'surprise' you have to confess?"

Noah exhaled with a whimper. "God I don't know if I can Luke. I don't want to lose you." he said with tears filling his crystal blue eyes. He raised his head and asked, "Promise me you won't leave me Luke. Please? I didn't do anything wrong. I swear!"

Luke turned away from Noah. Now he wasn't so sure this was a good idea. Maybe he could live without knowing what happened. He could pretend to be ignorant and he and Noah could get on with their lives. Right?

"Luke?" Noah asked worriedly as he placed his hand on Luke's shoulder and massaged it. "Talk to me."

"Just say it. I want to get this over with. Done with. Get on with my day." Luke uttered in a monotone voice. He clenched his jaw shut, wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel and squeezed it as tightly as he could, as his body steeled itself by becoming tense with anticipation.

"Ok. Ok." Noah said through deep breaths, readying himself for the argument that would ensue.

Noah cringed. "Zachary has been assertively propositioning me and I keep telling him no, that I'm in love with you."

Luke whipped his head to the right to look at Noah. "That fucking bastard!!"

"Wait!" Noah said loudly, "There's more." This time Noah put his hand on the door handle, ready to leave when Luke would surely say, 'get out'.

"What? What is it?" Luke truly looked scared.

"I was finishing up in the darkroom one day and he came in to look at the pictures I had taken of him." Noah nervously picked at a hangnail.

Luke felt like vomiting just as hard as Taylor said he had this morning. His feelings had a tendency to bind into a ball in his stomach and fester. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Hurry. I can't take this waiting anymore."

"Alright, the short story is... he... masturbated in the room."

Luke's mouth opened, letting out a dazed and startled gasp. His mind stumbled for something to say. He couldn't think, couldn't function. He had a hard enough time trying to breath, much less speak. He wanted to wake up now. This dream wasn't funny or even mildly amusing.

Noah kept silent, knowing Luke would address him once his head could wrap around what he'd told him. He watched Luke become rigid, then slump over the steering wheel when his emotions caught up with his thoughts.

"Hey, Luke. I didn't help him jack off if that's what is worrying you. I turned away from him." Noah said, leaving out the part about Zachary cumming on his shirt and the fact that he had to hold the dixie cup for him to cum in. That would be too much information and Luke didn't need to know the whole story.

Noah pulled Luke into a hug. Luke clung to him as if he was never going to let go. "I hate him Noah! I want to kick his ass. I want him dead. I- I-"

"Shhh..." Noah said, resting his chin on the top of Luke's blond head. His hair was silky soft and smelled like fresh air and sunshine.

"NO! Do NOT tell me to 'Shhh'!" Luke shouted, outraged. He sat up straight and glared at Noah angrily. "We have to do something about him! He can't do this shit with you. You told him to stop, right? Didn't you hit him? I mean, come on! He's violating you at work Noah!"

"I told him that what he's doing is sexual harassment." Noah cupped Luke's chin to gaze into his eyes. He met the angry brown orbs and gave them an intense look of love that warmed Luke's heart. The icy look in Luke's brown eyes melted and was replaced by a look of serenity. Noah smiled, receiving a careless and carefree smile in return from Luke, making his heart swell.

Luke shook himself from the spell he was under. What was it going to take to make Zachary leave Noah alone, short of charging him with indecent exposure? He would just be reprimanded by the courts, maybe pay a fine, a slap on the wrist and get off scot-free. They needed to do something so Zachary wouldn't pursue Noah anymore.

"We have to do something Noah. Something drastic since he's not listening to you." Luke thought a moment before a light bulb went off over his head. His eyes lit up and a smile appeared around his eyes. "Get him fired!"

"That's good, but ahhh.... how?" Noah said, rubbing his chin as the wheels turned in his head.

"I don't know-- hey! Plant that joint at work. Say it's his." Luke grinned as he patted Noah's leg excitedly.

"Can't, it's gone." Noah frowned. "I threw it away a while ago. Damn!" he cursed loudly.

"Well," Luke's eyes traveled over Noah's body and came to rest on his mouth. "I think I may have a plan." Luke grinned evilly. "Come here Noah."

Noah leaned over and listened while Luke spoke quickly, developing his plan.

~~**~~

Right after Noah and Luke left the townhouse to talk, Kris walked into Taylor's bedroom, seeing the blankets rise and fall steadily with each deep breath Taylor took.

_'He was drunk and that's why he thinks we're engaged. He saw the ring on his finger this morning when he woke up and thought I proposed to him last night and that he said yes. Yea right, after only five months of dating, I'd propose? Me? He knows better than that. I'm too shy.'_

Kris backed out of the room and silently closed the door. He decided to go to the loft and do what Luke asked him to. After climbing the stairs and entering Luke and Noah's bedroom, he took a seat on the chair at the desk and stared at the computer screen. Curious, he clicked on the document labeled 'Behaving Badly', opening Luke's erotic novel in progress, scrolling to the climax of the story.

Kris raised his eyebrows and looked around self-consciously as if Luke were, there hiding in the shadows. He turned to the screen again, slowly raising his eyes and began to read. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. The words grabbed him right away;

**"****I'm not going to go slow." Lance smacked Cody's ass hard. He didn't hear a protest from the dark-blond haired man on the bed before him, so with a devilish grin, he did it again. **

****

Cody felt his cock flex each time Lance spanked him, followed by a cool, wet lick of his tongue on his ass cheek to ease the sting. Cody moaned, "Don't want you to go slow."

****

"What about your boyfriend? What was it? Jerry or something?" Lance asked, knowing full well that his name was. In fact, he'd seen Jerry this morning before he left for work, having their own fucking session. 

****

"He's not coming home until later." Cody let out a gasp of pleasure when Lance smacked his ass again, then ran his hand over its smooth and perfect surface. Cody pushed his ass against Lance's hand and groaned, "Morrre--"

****

Lance inhaled through his nose as he rubbed his face up and down in **Cody's ass crack, caressing it with his nose. Cody kept his ass pressed to Lance's face, grinding against him impatiently. "'Shit!"  
**

**  
"You have the perfect ass to fuck, you know that?" Lance asked staring at the mounds of flesh as he rose up, kneeling behind Cody.  
**

**  
"Ohhh—-fuck!" Cody gasped for breath when Lance began to stroking the insides of his thighs and massaging and rolling his nuts. Lance's skilled fingers slowly stroked along Cody's perineum. "Ohhhhh—-sh-shit!" Cody vocalized and shivered as he raised his ass higher and spread his legs as wide as he could.**

****

"You're so fucking hot!" Lance exclaimed as his finger dragged up, then into to Cody's tight, clenching, wet, opening. 

****

"Fuck!" Cody shouted, humping back against Lance's finger. He turned and looked over his shoulder, throwing Lance a sultry, impassioned look. 

****

Lance couldn't help but shove another nimble finger inside his 'other' lover. A look of pure pleasure, bliss, and ecstasy washed over Cody's face as Lance ground his fingers into him. Lance bent them and rubbed Cody's prostrate from the inside. Cody hung his head, breathing deeply, laboriously, not being able to catch his breath as white lightening exploded behind his eyelids. "Uhhhmnmm---Goddammit! FF-FUCK!"

****

Lance's hand had a solid grip on Cody's hip while the other was working his fingers rhythmically in and out of his chute. 

****

"Enough of this warm up." Lance growled as his tongue curled around Cody's ear. "Now I'm gonna fuck you good!"

****

"God yes!" Cody squealed excitedly. "Please!"

****

Lance removed his fingers and replaced them with his straining, aching cock. He slammed into Cody over and over, grunting, moaning, and groaning. 

****

**Cody rode with the hard, bone rattling thrusts that encouraged cries of pleasure to escape his mouth. He reached out aimlessly for something to keep him in place while Lance was pile driving into him again and again.**

****

"Make me cum! AUHH-- AAH—- AHH!" Cody panted, nearing his orgasm.  


**  
"You bet I will bitch!" Lance chuckled, pulling back and plowing back in. He raked his fingernails down Cody's back, intentionally leaving scratch marks.**

****

"Hey! Don't fuckin' do that!" Cody looked over his shoulder. He knew Jerry would be suspicious and question him about the marks.

****

"You wanna fuck or not.... because I can stop." With that, Lance slowed his movements to slow, deliberate strokes.  


**  
"No, fuck me. Just fuck me. Hard!" Cody turned away and closed his eyes. He let out a long arousing moan when his lover wrapped his fingers around his cock and jerked it. **

****

"That's it baby, almost there..." Cody's toes were beginning to curl. He felt his nuts tighten and his rigid cock getting ready to blow. He opened his eyes to look at Lance, but his eyes were drawn to the door of the bedroom. He didn't know he and Lance had an audience.  


**  
There was Jerry, standing in the doorway watching them fuck on his and Cody's bed. Jerry deduced that Lance was apparently Cody's lover as well as his. **

****

Under any other circumstances, Cody may have been appalled and embarrassed or even ashamed, but he was beyond caring. All he cared about right now was how awesome Lance's cock felt buried in his ass and the fact that he was on the verge of cumming.

Kris clasped his hand over his mouth as he read what Luke had written. _Oh my god! Luke is a pervert!'_ He giggled. He read some more, then checked the time- he'd been up here for only a short while. He went on the internet with the honest intention to apply for college, but he got distracted by a few you-tube videos he found by typing in the word 'college' which, when he scrolled down, took him to 'college spring break videos' then of course after he clicked that, it took him to 'spring break- hot bodies' then it was 'hot sex videos' and on and on. On the last click of the mouse, he ended up at 'Men on Men'.

His stomach flip flopped. These were not going to be actors like in the porn he'd rented for him and Taylor to watch. No, this was going to be like watching it for real. He clicked on the triangle to play the video and looked around Luke's desk for speakers.

"Damn! Luke doesn't have any? I guess he doesn't need them to write. Shit!"

Kris leaned forward on the desk, his eyes a mere foot away from the monitor. He watched video after video until his eyes hurt from the strain of staring at a screen- not to mention the ache his continual erection was giving him from reading and watching porn.

He quickly went downstairs and entered Taylor's bedroom. He grabbed an item off the floor and quietly exited. He wondered how Taylor could sleep for this long.

_'He was really bombed last night and he is pretty ill from his hangover. Maybe he has some residual drunkenness this morning too?'_

Kris bit his lip to control his urges for a minute, until he got to the bathroom. He put the 'item' on the counter before he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto the floor. He undid his jeans next and stepped out of them, then he abandoned his underwear. He took the item off the counter, the underwear Taylor had on last night, and smelled it- all natural make musk and a hint of soap.

Kris sighed and tilted his head up. He draped the underwear over his face and breathed deeply as he stroked himself to an intense, long, orgasm. When he was done, he pulled Taylor's underwear off his face, wiped his cock with it and the sink area where his cum shot. He left Taylor's cum-stained underwear right there on the sink. Regaining his breath, he stepped into the shower and closed the plastic curtain before starting the water.

Taylor woke up, thinking he heard Kris come in, but after turning over and looking around, he decided he was mistaken. He sat up, held the side of his head and moaned.

"I'm getting too fucking old to be drinking all night. This is ridiculous!" He brought his hand down and swore when he saw the ring on his finger. "Shit! I was hoping that was a dream. God... engaged? Never gonna work. Nope. It won't. It just won't."

Taylor hoisted himself off the bed, catching himself a few times just before he lost his balance as he padded to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Kris, is that you?"Taylor asked as he opened the door.

"Yea!" Kris called out.

"Good." Taylor mumbled with a tired, gruff voice as he entered the room. He stood in front of the toilet and pushed his underwear down past his groin.

"Are you feeling better?" Kris yelled over the shower curtain.

Taylor shook his head because of the idiocy of the question and answered with the flush of the toilet.

"EEEEEE!" Kris squealed like a girl when the cold water blasted him on the chest. "Jesus!"

Taylor chuckled as he removed his underwear, then saw the pair on the sink and recognized them as his own. He held them up suspiciously, seeing that they had splotches of wetness on them before smelling the unmistakable odor of semen.

He looked at the shower curtain and asked, "Kris, what did you do?"

"What? I can't hear...you...ohhh shhhit..." Kris reddened and covered his mouth when he realized Taylor must have seen the underwear on the sink.

Taylor stepped around the curtain, got into the shower with Kris, and looked at him with an eyebrow arched. He held up the underwear and asked, "Did you blow your juice in my underwear?"

"No." Kris stated truthfully.

Taylor shifted his weight to the other foot. "Then what?"

Kris looked from Taylor to the underwear and back to Taylor, his blush spreading to his neck and chest. "Um, I... I like to... God Taylor. This is so embarrassing. Do I have to tell you?"

"It's my underwear, I'd like to know what you do with it." Taylor smirked.

Kris sucked in his lip and nodded. "Sometimes I sneak your day old underwear out of the hamper in your room, but that pair was on the floor this time."

"And--?" Taylor motioned with his hand to urge Kris to continue.

Kris let out an exasperated breath. "Fine. I like to wear your underwear when I jack off. Ok?!"

Taylor grinned. "That's ok. You'll have to show me."

"No, really?" Kris asked.

"Stop the shower and put them on for me." Taylor pointed to the handle.

"No. I don't 'wear' them. I... Taylor, I'm embarrassed."

Taylor took a step into Kris and hugged him. He licked Kris's ear, eliciting a moan from the blond as he whispered seductively, "Tell me, don't be shy." he planted another kiss on Kris's ear, then drew back to gaze into his eyes.

Kris stared into Taylor's eyes and said, "Promise not to laugh?"

"Of course. What gets you off interests me. In fact, watching you get off gets me off." Taylor smiled, tracing Kris's lips with his finger.

"Alright. I smell your underwear and... I.... put them on my face when I jack off so I can breath in your scent. Do you think that's weird or perverted?" Kris asked worriedly.

Taylor tossed the underwear over the shower rod and looked at Kris seriously while rubbing his own jaw. "Yes, that is weird." he said before he burst out laughing. "No, it's fine."

Taylor cupped Kris's ass and swayed with him to the beat of unheard music. "Actually it's kind of hot." Taylor whispered, the shower water dripping off his chin. Kris's chest raised when he inhaled deeply. Taylor groaned, his stiffening cock was brushing against his boyfriend's stomach. He stared into Kris's eyes as his tongue slid across his upper lip. He tilted his head and moved closer, kissing the side of Kris's tender neck as he ground their pelvis's together.

Kris moaned with pleasure as the pain from Taylor's teeth nibbled sharply on the muscle running up the side of his neck. His arms reached around Taylor's neck, his fingers fisting the dark hair on Taylor's head. "Oh yesssss.... yessss..." Kris whimpered as Taylor began to sink to the shower floor, his lips descending as fast as his body was.

Taylor nuzzled Kris's crotch with his face- smelling, licking, and enjoying while his hands reached around to grab hold of his muscular ass. "I love your smell too. I always have. You smell like..." Taylor looked up at Kris's face as he thought. "something between sweet and savory." He said, then bathed Kris's balls with his tongue.

Kris was incredibly turned on. What Taylor said surprised him, but what he was doing felt wonderful- especially the feel of Taylor's hot breath on his balls. Kris put his hand on the tiled wall to steady himself. If he fell he'd really be embarrassed.

Taylor's tongue slid upwards, underneath Kris's cock to the head, circled it, then dragged back down to the base and even going further, back to his balls.

"MMNNNGGG Taylor!"

"Like this sweet boy?" Taylor asked, holding Kris's cock in his hand with his tongue emerging, ready to lick the head. He saw the engagement ring on his finger and thought, it wasn't so bad to be engaged. They could wait years before getting married. He certainly wasn't in a rush. Maybe it could work.

"Uhhh!" Kris thrust his hips at Taylor's face, breaking his concentration.

"Take it easy. We have plenty of time."

Remembering Luke's story and the porn he had watched made Kris think aggressively. He knew what he wanted and how he wanted it. He had been too shy before to express himself, however, currently he had no qualms about being assertive.

"No... NOW! Suck my hard dick. Eat my cum. Do it!" Kris insisted with his brows furrowed and a serious look in his eyes.

Taylor looked up at Kris, wondering where his boyfriend had gone and where this pushy, domineering guy came from.

"Come on Taylor! Stuff your fucking mouth full, I know you want it..." Kris said boldly with newfound confidence. "You're going to make me cum and I'm going to shoot it in your mouth and down your throat. You're going to swallow it without spilling a drop and if you spill or spit, you'll be sucking me off all night until you fucking get it right."

Taylor opened his mouth and groaned, astonished by the force and sureness in Kris's commanding voice and the language spilling from his dirty mouth. It turned him on greatly.

"Yes sir." Taylor decided to play along, as a submissive servant. "I want your cock, your cum, feed it to me." he stated, hiding a smile.

Remembering some of the words Luke used in his story 'Behaving Badly', Kris put them to use, "Damn straight!" he said, getting into it now. What he'd seen on you-tube brought the animal out in him. He could pretend he was anyone he wanted to be. "Cover my dick with your mouth, slut."

Taylor was about to protest to the use of that word, but Kris pushed his cock impatiently into Taylor's face."Hurry, bitch." He said, looking into Taylor's amused eyes with his own fiery ones. "Please?" he whispered, fear returning to his senses.

Taylor didn't like to see Kris back down, especially when he seemed to be having so much fun. Taylor replied, "Sorry sir. Of course I'll hurry." Opening his mouth, he guided Kris's cock inside and sealed his lips around the shaft. . "Hmmmmmm- hmmmmmm" Taylor hummed, creating a buzzing sensation up Kris's shaft that burst throughout every nerve in Kris's body. It nearly made Kris's knees buckle.

"Holy shit! Fuckkkk...God!" Kris exclaimed loudly, still amazed by Taylor's talent, even after 5 months of being with him. "UHHHH!"

Taylor continued sliding his mouth up and down the whole length of Kris's cock, feeling it contracting and twitching in his mouth, slipping on his wet tongue and hitting the back of his throat. Kris's fingers were curled up in his hair, tugging it.

"God... that's so good. Faster, faster." Kris moaned. "Mmmm- yeaaaa that's right. You know how to suck dick dontchya? Come on bitch, make me cum!"

Taylor's body jerked as he chuckled silently. He was interested in what was going to happen after this role playing ended. He bobbed faster, chancing a quick look up, seeing Kris. His mouth was open, he was gasping, his eyes were closed, and his stomach muscles were tense while a cascade of water from the shower was running down his hairless chest. He never looked more beautiful.

"Oh, Oh god..." Kris whimpered, grasping Taylor's hair harder. "I- I... get ready... UHHNNNNMMM!"

Kris rocked his hips feverishly back and forth as Taylor tried to keep up with his erratic movements.

"OOHHH Taylor... shit... shit!"

After he came, Kris pulled his cock out of Taylor's mouth and bent over to catch his breath. "Oh god... that was so good Taylor."

Taylor asked, "So I'm Taylor again? Not bitch or slut?"

Kris stopped breathing, he didn't hear Taylor laugh or chuckle so he assumed Taylor wasn't teasing. He couldn't look up. He couldn't leave either, the aftershocks of his orgasm made his legs wobbly and unsteady.

"Breathe Kris. I'm kidding." Taylor said and stood up, helping Kris too.

"Sorry Taylor. I don't know what came over me." Kris apologized.

"No kidding. I didn't even recognize you. The way you took command. Wow. Hot. Sexy." Taylor grinned and pinched Kris's ass.

"It's your turn now." Kris toweled off. "Take command of me." he said, staring at Taylor's erect cock.

Taylor shook his head. In a low mesmeric voice, he said, "Not me. I'm not going to take command of you. My dick will though." Taylor gazed at Kris with a devilish look in his eyes and a wicked smile playing on his lips and, of course, he enunciated his words in the naughtiest way possible, "My dick is going to take command and fuck your ass Kris. Ramming in fast and sliding out slow. I'm gonna fuck you so hard you won't be able to speak, much less remember your own name. But you'll remember mine because you're going to be screaming it the whole time. Got it?"

Kris nodded eagerly, his hole quivering at the thought of Taylor's searing cock spearing into him- fucking him until he couldn't breath, only pant. He couldn't wait for their sweat to combine, making it's own unique smell that was all their own.

Kris breathlessly uttered with pleasure. "Yesss- I want that, all of it." He closed his eyes when Taylor touched his abdomen, teasingly running his fingers along his pubic hairline, making his skin tingle and sending erotic sensations back to his groin.

"Bedroom Kris. Get going. Right now." Taylor said, gently patting Kris's ass as he followed him. "So gonna tap that." He watched Kris's ass move as the blond walked to the bedroom. He said out loud, "Jesus, how did I get so lucky?"

Kris looked over his shoulder and smiled, giving Taylor a wink. "I picked you up and kept after you- or did you forget?"

"No, I let you pick me up." Taylor chuckled and lowered Kris not so gently to the bed, kissing his throat and neck roughly before laying atop him. "Ready for a fucking great fuck?"

Kris blushed a little. He was used to Taylor's cussing, but something about the way he said that last sentence sounded so primitive and raw; as if Taylor was really going to get into this and fuck him, not make love.

"Yea." Kris replied, gazing into Taylor's 'darkened by lust', blue eyes.

"You're gorgeous... fiancé." Taylor grinned, then kissed Kris's mouth forcefully.

Kris raised his eyebrows and decided to talk about that subject later.

Soon Kris was gripping and white knuckling the comforter on Taylor's bed, nearly going blind by the untempered, unrestrained way Taylor was going at him. Taylor was withdrawing his cock swiftly then immediately reinserting it, deeper each time.

Taylor fucked him wildly, bucking and thrusting into Kris's body. It was rough, hard fucking- no thought put into it, no mastery, no finesse. He swept down and covered Kris's mouth with his own, tonguing Kris's teeth, tongue and exploring his mouth frantically. He curled his fingers into Kris's blond hair as he pressed his lips harder to his boyfriend's lips. He suddenly drew away and moaned in a hoarse, scratchy voice just before he came.

~~**~~

Luke and Noah arrived home after coming to an agreement about the plan to stop Zachary from coming on to Noah again. Luke was sure it would work, but Noah wasn't so sure. He decided to go along with it because he wanted to please Luke. He trusted him, now he just had to work up to doing what he had to do at work tomorrow. His palms became sweaty with the thought of talking to Zachary, and his brain was on overload.


	25. Chapter 25

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 25

SUMMARY: Noah puts his and Luke's plan into action. Luke gets mail and decides to take matters into his own hands.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

Edited by me. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, run on sentences, punctuation or general lack of flow. 

****

* * *

****

Luke kissed Noah goodbye Monday morning and wished him luck. Today was going to be a huge deal because Noah was going to do his thing with Zachary. To keep his mind off his boyfriend, Luke went to the loft to write. He was so close to ending the story 'Behaving Badly'. 

****

Taylor kissed Kris goodbye before whispering in a teasing way, "How's that ass? Sore?"  


**  
"Not too bad." Kris said, smiling at Taylor as he ran his fingers through his dark hair to fix it. Taylor reached up and grabbed Kris's wrists and brought them down, pulling them to his side to get Kris to lurch forward into his body. "Love you. See you later." he said, tenderly kissing Kris on the lips.  
**

**  
"Love you too." Kris looked up at Taylor innocently. "Have a great day."  
**

**  
"I will." Taylor replied before he left.  
**

**  
Kris went back to the bedroom to change the sheets, straighten up and do their laundry.  
**

**  
"KRIS!" Luke yelled from the top of the stairs to the loft. "Come here!"  
**

**  
Kris frowned as he strode to the bottom of the stairs. "What?" he asked somewhat timidly since Luke seemed to be upset.  
**

**  
"Upstairs." Luke said sternly and waved him up. **

****

Kris took a few tentative steps and halted. "What is it Luke? Can't you tell me from here?"  


**  
Luke shook his head and motioned with a finger for Kris to come up.  
**

**  
Kris hung his head and slowly ascended the stairs. When he reached the top, Luke was sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen. He pointed to it and asked unamused, "What is this?"**

****

Kris gulped and stood next to Luke. He looked at the monitor and gasped. "Shit." he muttered. 

****

Luke swiveled his chair to face Kris and crossed his arms. "Porn? Really?"  


**  
"I just wanted to see what it was, that's all. I'm sorry." Kris said apologetically.  
**

**  
****"You just wanted to see what it was, huh? Take a look at my history on the computer Kris, there's at least 15 you-tube videos that were looked at. All sex, male and male."  
**

**  
Kris shrugged. "I was curious." he said in a soft spoken voice. "Sorry."  
**

**  
Luke's eyes lessened in intensity. "Alright, but next time ask, ok? Some of these sites could contain a virus. Luckily I ran spybot and everything is good."  
**

**  
"Whew!" Kris blew out the air in his lungs, relieved he didn't mess up Luke's computer. He hadn't been thinking when he was using it. He was too caught up in watching men having sex that he didn't pay attention to what he was doing or clicking on.**

****

"So? Did you register for college? What classes did you pick?" Luke smiled up at Kris. He was excited that his roommate was going to better himself. 

****

"I forgot to." Kris said, ashamed.

****

"Too busy looking at men having sex I suppose." Luke turned to the computer and typed in the technical school that Kris wanted to attend. "Here it is. Fill out this application and send it with your pick of classes. You may not get all of the ones you want, but it's a start." Luke stood up, letting Kris take his chair. 

****

While Kris was typing, Luke took a seat on the edge of his bed and wondered how Noah was doing at work. His stomach bubbled with anxiety as he thought of Noah confronting Zachary. He desperately needed something to draw his attention away from those thoughts.  


**  
"So, are you going to tell Taylor the ring wasn't an engagement ring or did you set him straight already?" Luke asked, curious about Kris's answer. He hoped his roommate told Taylor it was a mistake. Kris was too young to get married, to settle down already, to commit for the rest of his life- at least he acted like it. Kris had very little experience being ****in a relationship and later in life, he may regret the fact that he hadn't dated more.  
**

**  
"No I didn't. He's happy. I think I'll just keep it to myself. Besides," Kris lit up. "he called me his fiancé! I think he's excited to be engaged."  
**

**  
Luke chuckled and answered, "Well, I guess congratulations. If that's what you want, I wish you luck."  
**

**  
"It's certainly what I wanted down the road, but now is ok. I mean, I feel destined to be with Taylor for life."  
**

**  
"Good for you." Luke said with a genuine smile.  
**

**  
"Yea." Kris said, then grinned. "Yea! I have to call my mom!" he said with enthusiasm as he stood up.**

****

"No, you have to finish that application for school and pick your classes. AND, you dork, telling your mom that you're engaged is something you do in person, perhaps over dinner with your fiancé, NOT over the phone."  


**  
"Oh." Kris sank to the chair. "I don't know if I can announce it in person over dinner. Mom is usually the buffer between me and dad when it comes to 'gay' stuff. He'd rather not know if you get my drift."  
**

**  
"He may surprise you, you never know until you do it." Luke said encouragingly. "Does he say things to you about your being gay?"  
**

**  
"No." Kris answered, "He accepts it in his own way. He'd never say anything bad to me, but like I said, he's uncomfortable with it." Kris looked thoughtful for a moment, then ****guessed, "Maybe the idea of a man loving another man grosses him out or something."  
**

**  
"Or, he could have wanted you to settle down with a nice girl and give him grandchildren." Luke suggested. **

****

"Yea. My mom grieved over that for a short time after I came 'out', but she got over it because she wanted me to be happy in the end."  


**  
Luke laughed, "In the 'end'. I bet you're happy in the end. Your rear end."  
**

**  
Kris giggled and nodded before he turned back to the computer and finished his application.  
**

**  
~~**~~**

**  
Noah had a morning meeting, then he photographed Zachary for an upcoming advertisement. When they were done, Noah invited him into the darkroom to talk to him privately, but with the ruse to help develop pictures. As expected, Zachary came on to him.  
**

**  
"So baby, what do you want me to do? 'Develop' a hard on for you?" Zachary chuckled.  
**

**  
Noah turned and looked at Zachary. "Would you? I can't stop thinking about the last time we were in here together. Remember? You jacked off, your cum hit my shirt, then you finished cumming in that cup and lastly, you drank your own cum. God... that was so hot. Gave me the biggest boner ever!" Noah said in a seductive tone. **

****

Zachary was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "I saw it." he said, stepping up to Noah and rubbing his chest. "I knew you still had it for me." he leaned forward to kiss Noah, but **Noah stopped him. **

****

"You're so hot, beautiful. God your body is to die for. I've wanted you so bad, but I denied my feelings." Noah said, knowing Zachary loved hearing compliments. "You know, I've been so confused lately."  


**  
Zachary's hands lowered, cupping and rubbing Noah's ass. "You have the best ass Noah. So fucking tight. It's perfect for my cock, for fucking."  
**

**  
Noah tried to smile. He flirted, "That's right. You know what you're doing when you fuck, don't you? "  
**

**  
"Damn right baby." Zachary's chest heaved with his deep, horny breaths.  
**

**  
"You know, I thought I loved Luke, but I don't. It was just lust. It's you I love Zack." Noah licked his lips nervously, uncomfortable with what he was doing.  
**

**  
Zachary stared into Noah's bright blue eyes and replied, "Baby, what is it? Are you scared I won't take you back? I do want you back." He pushed his erection into Noah's crotch. "I'll show you how much." he looked around. "We can fuck right in here. Take your pants off."  
**

**  
"Wait," Noah said quickly. "first I want to say something important Zack."  
**

**  
"Ok." Zachary replied with interest at what Noah had to say.  
**

**  
Noah repeated what he and Luke had rehearsed last night including convincing looks and body language. "I want us to be together with a commitment. No cheating. Promise me."  
**

**  
Noah WAS a prime piece of ass, not to mention incredibly attractive, but there were so ****many other hot men out there. How was he supposed to keep his dick in his pants? Zachary swallowed. "Uh, ok." he lied.**

****

Noah hitched his breath, thinking, _'Damn! Luke's plan failed! He was so sure that Zachary wouldn't be able to promise not to stray. I'm going to have to improvise here.'_**  
**

**  
"Kiss me Noah." Zachary said with lust rolling off his tongue and his hands running up and down the sides of Noah's waist. "We can get to fucking afterwards. God, I can't wait to stick my cock in your horny hole. It's been so long that we've been together. My dick is aching for your ass to swallow it up."**

****

"Zack." Noah said thinking quickly as he bent down on one knee and took Zachary's hand. "I really love you- only you. I've thought a lot about this, so here goes-- Will you marry me? I want us to raise a family in a nice home. Somewhere away from this big city."  


**  
"What?" Zachary shook Noah's hand off his. "I- I- huh?" His mouth dropped open. "Are you crazy? I'm too young to settle down. Kids? No fucking way. I don't want kids and I don't want to get married. I have my career to think about first and foremost. That's the most important thing in my life. I can't marry you!" he looked at Noah like he was psychotic. **

****

"Please! You won't regret it baby!" Noah begged, making the scenario convincing. He walked forward on his knees. "I love you. I can make you happy! You don't have to model. I'll take care of you." He wrapped his arms around Zachary's waist and clutched him tightly.  


**  
Zachary tried to get Noah off of him. "Let go! I don't want that kind of life. It's boring and predictable. You're insane." he said loudly, looking at Noah as if he'd gone off the deep end.  
**

**  
Noah forced some tears as he looked up at Zachary. "I know you love me Zack. We can be happy. I'm going to keep after you until you give in." **_'Oooh, did I go overboard there? Will __he see through this and realize this is an act to get him off my back?'_**  
**

**  
"Let go Noah. Seriously. I don't want that kind of life." Zachary pulled Noah's hands away from his waist and stepped back. He saw the desperation and tears in Noah's eyes and shook his head, believing that Noah had really proposed to him. "Look, you're a nice guy, but the answer is no fucking way! Oh, and leave me the hell alone from now on." He watched Noah hang his head before shaking his own head, then he left the room.  
**

**  
Noah heard the door close and raised his head with a huge grin on his face.  
**

****

**  
"Luuuuke!" Kris yelled up to the loft after closing the front door. In his hand he had the mail, delivered personally by the mailman. **

****

Luke poked his head out of his bedroom door. "What?"  


**  
"Mail call! You have another junk mail envelope. Want me to toss it?"  
**

**  
Luke hopped down the stairs hurriedly. "NO!" he yelled, then added in a softer tone, "I mean, no, I'll take it." **

****

Kris handed it to him, eying him suspiciously. "I called my mom. She said Taylor and I could come over tonight. She's going to make dinner for us. Luke, I'm really nervous."  


**  
"Did you call Taylor and tell him yet?"  
**

**  
"Yes. He's looking forward to it. He's not even scared Luke! I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by telling my parents. I love Taylor and all, but my parents might not believe that gay people should get married. What if they kick us out of their house? What if they yell? What if they tell me I'm too young, or that Taylor is too old for me?"  
**

**  
"Your mom was ok with him. She probably softened the blow already by talking to your dad about you dating Taylor."  
**

**  
"I wish she could tell him we're engaged." Kris reiterated. "I'm so frightened."  
**

**  
Luke gave Kris a calming, reassuring hug. "You have Taylor, he's all you need."  
**

**  
Kris nodded and mentioned that he was going to shower and pick out the clothes he'd wear tonight.  
**

**  
Luke went upstairs and closed the bedroom door. He held the orange-ish colored envelope in his hand and sighed. When would this end? He tore open the flap and slowly pulled out another series of pictures. He groaned and plopped down on the bed as he embarrassedly looked at the pictures of himself. He had to tell Noah. Had to. This was getting ridiculous. He shuffled the pictures, seeing a long note on a lined piece of paper this time, instead of on the back of one of the pictures.  
**

****

Hello Luke,  


**  
The first picture is my favorite. I love imagining you stroking that long, thick cock of yours. In fact, I whack off when I'm looking at it- fantasizing about you cumming in my mouth or my ass. **

**  
****  
The next picture of your perfect hole is another one I love to jack off to. I copied dozens of them. I tape one to my headboard, kneel in front of it and cum right on your ass. I pretend I'm fucking your hole.  
**

**  
I know these notes might freak you out, but I'm not stalking you or anything. I'm being honest and I have no intention of harming you. I guess you could say I'm lusting after you.  
**

**  
Just take a look at yourself in these pictures Luke. You are an attractive, no, a ****beautiful**** man with a gorgeous body. Your face is stunning. I really want to get to know you.  
**

**  
A little bit about me. I'm over six feet tall, but not by much. I have dark hair and blue eyes. I'd describe my body type as athletic. I like Thai food, scary movies and of course hot blonds, namely you.  
**

**  
If I haven't scared you off yet, I'd like to meet you in person. Today, Monday, at 3pm- if you can make it. How about at Star's coffee house? It's a public place so you can be comfortable in a roomful of people and not think I'd try something.  
**

**  
I really hope you consider my offer. I promise to keep things simple. I just want to buy you a coffee and talk. Nothing more, nothing less.  
**

**  
Looking forward to seeing you gorgeous.**

****

Luke had to force himself to breath. _'What is this guy doing to me? Is this Noah, playing a trick on me? It's his description. No, he said he didn't know who took the pictures. I'm going to meet this person and end this once and for all.'_****

**Luke answered his cell phone when it rang.**

****

"Luke! I got rid of him! Can you believe it?" Noah screeched happily.

****

"Really??! My plan worked?" Luke exclaimed excitedly.  


**  
"Well, some of it. I had to expand on it and propose to him. It scared him off!" Noah laughed.**

****

Luke frowned, "You proposed to him? What if he had said yes Noah?" Luke pushed his free hand into the front of his pocket.

****

"But he didn't. You forget Luke, I know the guy inside and out. Besides, the point is, is that he wants nothing to do with me. Wasn't that the plan? To get rid of him? It's done, you should be happy." Noah wondered why Luke had lost his enthusiasm. 

****

"I am happy. I'm glad he's gone, but proposing? Have you ever proposed to anyone else in your life?" Luke asked with a tinge of jealously. 

****

"No. I've never been that serious about anyone." Noah explained.  


**  
"So HE'S the first guy you've ever proposed to?"  
**

**  
"Yes, well.... no. It wasn't a serious proposal. It was fake. Luke, what's the problem?" Noah asked, getting irritable.**

****

"Nothing, I'm sorry. Great job. I'm ecstatic that he's out of our lives." Luke replied, feeling a **little better.**

****

"I love YOU Luke Snyder." Noah said sincerely.  


**  
"And I love you Noah Mayer." Luke smiled. "See you."  
**

**  
"Bye babe."**

****

~~**~~

****

later....

Luke left the house early, heading to Star's Coffee House. He entered the aromatic building and sat near the window so he had a clear view of who entered and exited the door. The place was relatively busy with people coming and going. Near three o'clock, his heart stopped. He saw a tall, dark haired, blue-eyed man walk into the coffee house. Luke watched him search the seating area as he walked to the counter to order. The man grinned and waved. Luke hesitantly waved back, seeing the gleam of the white gold engagement ring on his finger. 

**  
**_NO! Fuck! It's Taylor? No fucking way! He stole the pictures? He's been jacking off to them? He 'wants' me? Oh god this can't be!'_** Luke put his head in his hands.  
**

**  
"Hi there." Taylor said, sitting across the table from Luke, sliding a coffee towards him. "I bought you a coffee."**

****

**Luke groaned as he lifted his head. "Thanks?" he said, looking at Taylor's kind face.  
**

**  
"How are you?" Taylor asked with a smile before raising his cup to blow on his coffee. He took a sip and set the cup down while studying the different emotions crossing Luke's face.  
**

**  
"I 'was' fine. You?" Luke stated and gazed into his coffee, looking for answers to his questions in the dark brew. **

****

"Great! So, what's up?" Then Taylor saw the look of confusion on Luke's face and asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

****

"Um, no, but I want you to know that nothing will ever happen between us Taylor. I don't have feelings for you like that and I'm in love with Noah."

****

"Okaaay..." Taylor raised his brows. "What are we talking about?"

****

Luke frowned and asked, "Don't you know?"

****

"Know what Luke? You're acting really weird." Taylor shook his head and lifted his cup of coffee again. He peered at Luke while he drank it, searching Luke's eyes for clues.

****

"Why are you here?" Luke asked, bluntly.

****

Taylor laughed. "Why does anyone come here? To get a coffee or a bite to eat. What is up with you anyway?"  


**  
"I thought.... never mind."**

****

"I'm going to Kris's parents house tonight. I handed off my last two patients to my assistant and left early so I can get ready. You know, shower, shave and all that shit. I need caffeine to stay awake, so here I am. Why are you here?"  


**  
"Just thinking."  
**

**  
"Want to be alone?" **

****

Luke nodded. "Yes. I do thanks." He didn't want Taylor to stay and see him with a strange man- the one who was on his way to meet him at 3:00. He didn't see anyone that matched the description of a tall, dark haired, blue eyed, athletic guy.  


**  
"Alright, see you later." Taylor said, standing up. "Bye."**

****

"Bye, thanks for the coffee." Luke said thankfully. 

****

Taylor left, leaving Luke sighing with relief that it wasn't his roommate who had been sending him pictures and dirty notes. A few moments later, Luke's eyes narrowed and a feeling of loathing wrenched his gut. He saw another dark haired man go to the counter to order. Luke kept his brown eyes on him, seeing that he'd ordered an iced coffee. He the blue eyed model turned and met his eyes. A sneaky smile crept on Zachary's face.  


**  
"Hi Luke." Zachary purred as he sat down. "How's it going doll?"  
**

**  
"What do you want?" Luke sneered.  
**

**  
"Oh that temper turns me on." Zachary snickered. "I heard that you and Noah are on the ****outs huh?"  
**

**  
Luke looked puzzled, then remembered the plan he and Noah devised to keep Zachary away from Noah.  
**

**  
"Yes." Luke answered. **

****

"Yesss." Zachary leaned forward and grinned. "So, you're single now. How about a date? No, not a date. I don't want to go 'out'. We can stay in and just fuck. How's that sound? Bet your ass is missing the feeling of a hot, big cock in it- since Noah left you. Or." Zachary reached across the table and caressed Luke's cheek, "maybe you topped most of the time?"  


**  
"I want what's mine Zachary." Luke slapped the model's hand away from his face. "Give them to me. All of them."**

****

"All of what sweetie?" Zachary sipped his drink through a straw. "See that?" he asked, "I bet I could suck a melon though a straw, whaddya think?" He smiled devilishly at Luke. "Wanna find out how good I suck Luke?" 

****

"No!" Luke looked at him crazily. "All I want are my pictures." 

****

"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about. Why don't you come over to my place? We can sit on my bed and talk- naked."

****

"God you're relentless, do you know that? It's offensive."

****

"And you look delicious. I bet you taste delicious too." Zachary ran his tongue over his perfectly straight teeth. "Come on Luke, you do for me and I'll do for you."  


**  
"Get the hell outta here." Luke pointed to the door.  
**

**  
"Fine." Zachary replied. "Maybe another time."  
**

**  
"I'm not that hard up!" Luke sputtered.  
**

**  
"Not yet anyway." Zachary snickered and waved. **

****

_'This was a bust! Whomever was going to meet me isn't now because Taylor and Zachary showed up. Damn! Who the hell.... oh, there's someone. Nah, too young.'_

****

Luke watched the teen look about the room anxiously, then quickly look away when he saw Luke. He seemed out of place, like he didn't know what he was doing here. Luke was watchful of the teenager's every move at the counter- from rubbing his arm nervously to his shifting from foot to foot. Luke was surprised when the dark haired boy approached him shyly.  


**  
"Hi." The blue eyed teen said, bravely meeting Luke's uncertain eyes.  
**

**  
"Hi?" Luke said as more of a question than a warm welcome.  
**

**  
"Uh, I promised you a coffee, but I see you have one. Would you rather have a soda or a juice?" the teen asked with a slight smile, pulling out the chair and sitting across from Luke.  
**

**  
"You? You have pictures of me? Who the hell are you?" Luke leaned forward, in the attempt to place the teens face. **

**  
****  
"You don't know me, but you know my uncle. Well, actually, you may have seen me around. I don't know." the teen said, watching the fizz in his cola.**

****

"Please, enlighten me." Luke said stone faced.

****

"Well, my uncle Hank--" 

****

"What's this got to do with your uncle? Is he the one who took--"  


**  
"No, oh no, not him. It WAS me. Hank is the guy at your townhouse that opens the gates."  
**

**  
"THAT Hank? What the--? What?" Luke asked astonished.  
**

**  
The teen looked up and drowned in Luke's eyes. "God... you're even more beautiful close up. Your hair, those lips... man." he said dreamily in deep thought about Luke's body.  
**

**  
Luke turned pink. "Hey!" He snapped his fingers in the teens face. "Continue."  
**

**  
The teen shook his head and focused on Luke's face again. He wet his lips and said, "My uncle got me a temporary job helping landscape around several of the townhouses a few months ago. I saw you quite a few times. I immediately fell for you and continuously looked for you when you would leave and come back. I usually saw you with a dark haired guy, your boyfriend."**

****

Luke nodded. "Go on." He wanted to find out how this kid got hold of Noah's pictures of him. 

****

**"Eventually the crew and I finished the landscaping job. I felt bad that I wouldn't catch glimpses of you anymore, so I eavesdropped on one of your conversations when you were kissing your boyfriend goodbye at his truck. I learned that he was a photographer. I got a job as a go-fer at GQ and to my delight and surprise, I found his camera bag sitting in an empty room. I looked through it and found a portfolio and peeked inside and saw those really hot pictures of you. I also found rolls of film that I thought maybe had your pictures on them. I had them developed, but you weren't on them."**

****

Luke shook his head. "I can't believe this." he said to himself. "How old are you?"  


**  
"I'm 16. My name is Tom. I'm sorry about being so explicit in the notes I sent you, but it's easier to write my thoughts down instead of saying them to your face. Like, right now I'm sorta embarrassed about what I wrote, but those were... ARE my feelings. I know they were a little crude, but.... well... I don't know. I guess I wanted to sound older than I was because I feel older than I am. I wanted you to show up. I didn't want you to think I was a confused teenager or something."**

****

Luke scratched his head, wondering what to do. He had to let Tom down easy. "Tom, I'm really flattered that.... no, I'm not. All I want are my pictures back, ok?"  


**  
"But, you came." Tom replied.**

****

"To get what's rightfully mine. You stole them out of Noah's bag. That was wrong." Luke said in a firm voice.  


**  
"Luke, please. Let me get to know you. We can be friends, right?" Tom asked frantically.  
**

**  
"I don't think so. Not until you give me all those pictures you have, then we'll see." Luke answered with a lie. He had no intention of becoming friends with this creepy kid.  
**

**  
****"Alright. We can go now."  
**

**  
"Where?" **

****

"To my parents house of course. You don't think I carry them around with me, do you?" Tom smiled.  


**  
"No, but..." **

****

"Come on Luke." Tom said, getting up from his chair. He held out his hand to Luke, but Luke declined, rising to his feet without help.  


**  
"I don't bite, sheesh." Tom said, looking discouraged.  
**

**  
"You're a minor." **_'I don't want to touch him and give him the wrong idea or encourage him. God this kid has got the gonads to do this to me. He's calculating, that's for sure.'_** Luke thought as he followed Tom out the door.  
**

**  
"So? I'm experienced." Tom said, standing next to his, or rather, his parents car. "Ride with me?" he asked and opened the door for Luke.  
**

**  
"No, I'll follow." Luke said, walking away.  
**

**  
"Fine by me." Tom watched Luke's ass bounce as he sauntered away. "Daayyuuumn." he murmured before licking his lips. **

****

Luke followed Tom to a modest looking home twenty minutes away from the townhouse. He watched Tom get out of the car and wave before heading up the walkway to the door.  


**  
Luke blew out a hard breath of air, raising the hair on his forehead. It moved back into place as he opened the car door. **

****

Inside, Luke took a look around as he passed through the rooms on the way to Tom's bedroom. 

****

"Right through here." Tom said, glancing over his shoulder at Luke. He unlocked, then opened his bedroom door and swept his arm across the room. "This is my room." he smiled at Luke.

****

Luke flushed a deep red, seeing his face and certain body parts all over one wall of the bedroom. "Oh. My. God." he said stunned. 

****

"Great wallpaper, isn't it?" Tom grinned as he looked at each picture.  


**  
Luke quickly came to his senses and stood up on Tom's bed. He began tearing photos of himself off the wall, distraught that Tom had possession of something so personal, intimate and not meant for the teens eyes, or anyone else's for that matter. **

****

"I can't fucking believe this!" Luke yelled, stretching, reaching higher. "Why would you do this to me?"

****

"I didn't do anything TO you."  


**  
"Look at this room!" Luke turned. "It's... god... it's got me all over. It's humiliating!"**

****

**"I worship you Luke. I like to look at you. Is that so wrong?" Tom asked, watching Luke jump off the bed to get the lower pictures.**

****

Luke was huffing and puffing, moving frantically and looking around wild-eyed to make sure he got every picture. Then he saw it. He turned beet red and said in a steady voice, "Get that one off the headboard and rip it up."

****

Tom gazed lovingly at the picture he'd cum on earlier in the day. Luke's perfect pucker. "I can't! Don't make me rip up that one."  


**  
"Do it!" Luke demanded with his hands on his hips. "Right now Tom."  
**

**  
A myriad of expressions crossed Tom's face. He hesitated a moment too long. **

****

"Alright. I'll do it!" Luke said and took the crusty picture off the headboard and ripped it up with a look of disgust on his face. "The others, where are they?"

****

Tom shook his head. "No. You have to let me keep one. Just one Luke, please?"

**  
"No Tom. You know this isn't right. You have to know that these pictures weren't meant for you. I love Noah. We're in love. I'm not going to be with you." Luke said bluntly, straight to the point, hoping the teen would listen and hear that he was serious.  
**

**  
Tom turned away and went to his desk. He opened a drawer and took out at least twenty five photocopies and handed them to Luke. **

****

"Is this all of them?" Luke asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.  


**  
****Tom sighed, turned around again and opened the other drawer. He took out another stack of pictures and gave them to Luke. "That's all of them, I swear."  
**

**  
Luke stared at Tom for a few minutes. Deciding he believed the teen, he then turned away and left, holding the photos tightly against his chest.**


	26. Chapter 26

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 26

SUMMARY: Luke Tells Noah Where The Pictures Came From and Kris and Taylor go to Kris's Parents for Dinner.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

My mistakes, my editing.

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NOTE- This Chapter is a Direct Continuation from the previous one.

~~**~~

Taylor was ready to go. He snuck up behind Kris, who was sitting on the living room couch, watching tv, and covered Kris's eyes. "Guess who?"

Kris knew Instantly who it was. He inhaled happily, smelling Taylor's tantalizing cologne. He smiled and teased, "Hmmm, Robert Pattinson from Twilight?" Kris said, then heard Taylor's low chuckle in his ear.

"No! Here's a clue." Taylor whispered sexily in Kris's ear. "I fucked you last night. You're ass is so sweet and tight. You screamed my name over and over as you shot stream after stream of cum on your chest, then I licked it off. Remember now?" Taylor's moist tongue teased the outer edge of Kris's ear.

"Ohhhh yea... Zac Efron!"

Taylor playfully growled, "Grrhh, you got a thing for guys younger than me huh?"

Kris giggled.

"Well I'll tell you what. I've got more experience than them, I'm wiser and I have a bigger cock, of that I'm sure. Oh, one more thing. I'm gay and they're not."

Kris raised his hand and removed Taylor's hands off his eyes. He blinked and looked up. "Oh! It's you! I was sure by your last description that you were John Barrowman. You know, you really look a lot like him." Kris's eyes met Taylor's.

"What is it with you and actors?" Taylor snickered as he walked to the front door. "We have to leave now if we're to be on time. Wouldn't want mom and pops to get upset."

_'Them being upset about us being late is nothing compared to them being upset about me being engaged.'_

"Get a move on sugardick."

"What?" Kris muttered, his mind occupied by thoughts of what his parents were going to say.

"Sugardick- delicious to lick on the outside and oh so sweet on the inside." Taylor made a slurping sound with his mouth and laughed.

"You're not funny." Kris said grumpily. He wasn't mad at Taylor, just overly nervous and scared.

Taylor picked up on Kris's mood right away and knew what was going through Kris's mind. He approached Kris and circled his waist with his arms. "I love you. If anything happens, we're in this together. I'll support you and you support me, deal?"

Kris leaned into Taylor and kissed his soft, supple lips. He drew back and replied, "Deal."

"Good." Taylor took Kris's hand and said, "Ready or not here we come."

Luke passed Taylor and Kris on his way into the townhouse. He said a quick hello and dashed off, clutching his pictures. Inside the house, he ran upstairs and dropped the stack on his bed, wondering what to do with them. He knew he had to tell Noah what had happened. It would ease Noah's mind to know that he had every picture that had been taken, including all photocopies.

Noah came home in a great mood, carrying a pizza and a pack of beer. "Luke!" he called out. "Better come down here. I have something steaming hot for you. You're gonna love it. You're gonna eat it up. Come on!"

"You come up!" Luke yelled through the open door, standing at the bed and staring at the photos laid out on the bedspread.

Noah made his way up the stairs. "Are you naked or something?" he would have crossed his fingers if they weren't being used to carry the pizza box and beer. Instead, he mentally crossed them- toes too.

"No, well... in a way I am." Luke chuckled, referring to the pictures.

"What are you--" Noah entered the room. He saw the bed and what was on it. "How did you get those?" he asked, setting the pizza box on the bed and the beer on the floor. He took a beer for himself and handed one to Luke.

Luke snapped the beer open and took a long drink. "Mmm, thanks. That hit the spot."

Noah lowered his can after taking a few gulps of beer and said, "No doubt, cooled me off after seeing those pictures. God you're so photogenic. So beautiful."

"So relieved that I got them back?" Luke spoke before taking another drink, then he asked, "What kind of pizza did you get?"

"Four meat." Noah said, opening the box and showing Luke. "Our favorite. So, what's the deal with those." he pointed to the pictures before he picked up a slice of pizza.

"Well. I'll start from the beginning. I was getting pictures of myself, like these, in the mail. There was no return address so I had no idea who they were from."

"But you do now?" Noah asked, chewing with his mouth full.

"Yes, but you're getting ahead of the story. On the back of the photos were comments. Very suggestive ones."

"You didn't tell me. Why?" Noah asked calmly.

"At first I thought it was Taylor or Kris or possibly you playing a joke on me. Then you told me someone stole them and I needed to find out who it was." Luke answered. "I didn't want you to worry that someone was stalking me."

"You still should have told me." Noah wagged a finger at Luke. "So how did you find this person? How did you connect the dots." Noah asked, taking a large bite of pizza.

"I'm getting there. I got another envelope containing pictures and another note. This time he said he wanted to meet me to talk, just talk. I really wanted to find out who the guy was, to confront him. He described himself as tall with dark hair and blue eyes. He suggested we meet at Star's Coffee House at three."

"Sounds like your type of guy." Noah commented with a chuckle. "Tell me you didn't go alone. You could have been hurt."

"Nah, it was in public... for some of the time."

Noah shook his head.

"Please! Have some confidence in me. I can kick anyone's ass." Luke snickered.

"You mean you could **fuck** anyones ass- IF you wanted to." Noah teased. "You're like a hot commodity you know."

"Shush! So I went early and waited and guess what?" Luke said loudly, looking into Noah's blue eyes with amusement as he placed a hand on Noah's shoulder.

"What?"

"I saw Taylor come in! He saw me and waved, then he went to the counter, ordered, came to my table and sat down. He even bought me a coffee."

"WHAT?! Taylor? That motherfuc-" Noah yelled furiously, startling Luke.

"No Noah, he wasn't the guy. I thought it was, but talking to him made it obvious that he was just there to get a coffee." Luke laughed, recalling the instant he saw Taylor come in the door and having the same reaction as Noah.

"So... Taylor left, then what?" Noah asked, eying another slice of pizza. He chose a large piece and began to eat when Luke spoke.

"Well, I was sitting there, alone again, when in comes another tall, dark haired, blue eyed guy. He looks around the room and sees me, then smiles like he's thinking the dirtiest thoughts he could." Luke watched Noah's face for a reaction.

Noah dropped the slice of pizza in the box and downed his beer, then waited- straining his ears, ready to listen. He waited impatiently, staring at Luke's amused face. "Well? Who was it?"

"Zacha--"

"I KNEW IT!!!! I confronted him at work and the slimy bastard denied even looking in my bag! I'm gonna bust up his face, then I'm gonna---"

"No Noah! It wasn't him either!" Luke laughed, enjoying seeing the jealous nature of his boyfriend. "All he did was proposition me in his cheesy, scuzzy way."

"Goddammit!" Noah huffed, bent down and took another beer out of the pack. "Then who the hell is it?"

"His name is Tom. You may have seen him landscaping around here about a couple of months or so ago. You may have seen him at GQ too."

"Tom? Tom?" Noah rubbed his forehead, trying to remember a guy named Tom. "No, doesn't ring a bell. Who is he?"

Luke smirked, "He's a sixteen year old Noah. He's a go-fer at the magazine you work at. He's the one who took your portfolio and the film."

"That fucking little shit!" Noah spat, remembering the boy now. The teen always acted weird around Noah the few times he saw him around. Now Noah knew why. "That little pervert!" Noah grumbled before drinking his beer. "Wait a minute."

Luke stopped, holding a wedge of pizza to his mouth. "What?"

"Just how did you get these back?" Noah asked, pointing to the pictures.

"I demanded them back. I followed him to his house and went to his bedroom. Noah!" Luke exclaimed. "You should have seen his room! My pictures were all over the whole wall. You couldn't even SEE the wall. God I was so humiliated."

"You went to this kid's house? Jesus Luke, do you know how stupid that was! He could have stabbed you or shot you or something!"

Luke looked down and frowned, "Man, I didn't even think of that."

"You should have. That was a dangerous thing to do Luke. I'm glad, happy, extremely happy that you're ok, but think next time." Noah warned in a loving tone.

"I will." Luke looked up and gave Noah a small smile. "Promise."

"Ok, so what else happened?" Noah picked up his half eaten piece of pizza.

"I tore the pictures off the wall and insisted he give me all the others he had. He gave them to me willingly and I'm sure, no positive, I have them all. There was one that was, ugh, taped on his headboard. The one of my-" Luke reddened. "hole." he whispered. "It was covered with cum Noah. He told me when he masturbates, he pretends he's cumming in me." Luke wrinkled his nose.

Noah laughed. "A little teenybopper has the hots for my man- the perverted little ball-sack. But I'll admit, he's got great taste in men and excellent taste in asses and cocks too!"

"Very funny Noah. But you know what? He said in one of the notes that I should dump you for him and that he could satisfy ALL my needs." Luke joked.

"Oh really?" Noah said, picking up the pizza box and putting it on the computer desk. He said, "Lets see about that. I know I can provide you with a Butt Load of fun that will satisfy your wildest dreams!" He raised his eyebrows up and down quickly as he swooped in on Luke's mouth, overtaking the blond by surprise.

~~**~~

"Ahem, Ahem..." Kris coughed. "Ahem."

"Stop that." Taylor rubbed Kris's back. " It's alright. Do you want me to ring the doorbell?"

"No, I will." Kris involuntarily coughed again. "God, my mouth is so dry." he said, pointing his index finger at the lit up doorbell outside his parents front door. He held it there for a while, until Taylor took Kris's wrist and moved it forward so his finger would depress the button.

"Thanks Taylor." Kris looked up.

Taylor smiled and kissed him on the temple just as the door opened.

"Krissy and Taylor!" Crystal exclaimed. "Come in, come in boys." She touched Kris on the arm and added, "Your father is in the living room, so go introduce Taylor and make yourselves comfortable. I'm just putting the finishing touches on dinner."

"Ok momma." Kris said with a big smile and hugged her.

"Hello Crystal." Taylor said and hugged her as well before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Nice to see you again Taylor. How's work going for you?" Crystal asked as she walked into the kitchen with Kris and Taylor following closely behind.

"Great." he answered. Inhaling deeply, he added, "It smells delicious in here."

"Thank you. Aren't you a sweetheart." Crystal looked at Kris and pointed a finger at him as she spoke, "He's definitely a keeper." then smiled sweetly at them both.

"I applied for college and picked my courses." Kris grinned as he took Taylor's hand and looked to his mother for approval.

"Oh I'm so happy for you! My baby finally has a direction in life." she teased and pinched his cheek. "Hurry now, go introduce your boyfriend to your father, then we'll eat."

Kris rubbed his red cheek where his mother squeezed it and turned to Taylor. "Ready?"

"Of course." Taylor nodded.

"I've never had a boyfriend to bring home before. I hope this goes smoothly and that he likes you." Kris stated before anxiously biting his lip.

"It's going to be alright." Taylor held Kris's hand tightly to reassure him that everything would work out somehow.

Kris led Taylor from the kitchen to the living room- where Kris's father was watching a football game on the television. He was slightly heavy with sandy colored hair and a handsome face. Taylor looked at the tv, seeing the game and asked with interest, "Who's winning?"

"Ach, those damn Broncos are beating the Raiders by two touchdowns." Kris's dad griped. He took his eyes off the tv long enough to look at Taylor and Kris, then went right back to watching the game. He didn't care that his son was gay or had a boyfriend, but it made him uncomfortable to finally see them together, standing there holding hands. He knew Kris wasn't throwing it in his face or trying to anger him, but he didn't need the visual.

"Dad, this is Taylor. He's my boyfriend." Kris said in a small voice. "This is my dad, Ron." Kris said to Taylor.

Taylor let go of Kris's hand, stepped forward and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you sir."

"Yep." Kris's dad replied, shaking Taylor's hand.

"Alright men, dinner is ready." Crystal called out.

Kris cleared his throat and whispered, "I need a drink of water."

Taylor chuckled and said, "Relax."

Kris whispered loudly, "I can't! How can you be so cool and calm? I'm dying over here. I'm the one who's scared and they're MY parents."

Taylor led him to a chair in the dining room and sat next to him. Crystal and Ron sat across from them. Dishes were passed around and plates were filled. The conversation centered around Kris going to school and working for his dad. It was decided that school was more important and if Kris needed spending money, he could rely on his parents. Ron, Kris's father listened in and added to the conversation, but pretty much stayed silent with his eyes focused on his plate of food. He couldn't watch Taylor cover Kris's hand one more time or see them look at each other, sharing some secret within their eyes. He wasn't against it. He really wasn't. It was awkward because this was the first time he'd been exposed to it in his home with his son. He'd had gay customers come into the restaurant and it didn't bother him to see them kiss or hug. This was different because this was his only son.

After dinner, Crystal brought out dessert and served Kris and Taylor a slice of pie. Ron declined, saying he was full and wanted to get back to the game.

Kris looked to Taylor anxiously. They wanted to announce their engagement at the table while Kris's parents were together.

"Wait dad." Kris stood up. "Please sit back down."

Ron gazed at his son, then at Taylor as he slowly lowered himself to the wooden chair.

"What is it Krissy?" Crystal asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No momma. Just stay here for a moment. I want to say something.... I think." Kris raised his hand and bit his fingernail as he fidgeted. Finally, he looked at Taylor with pleading eyes and mouthed, 'I can't. I'm sorry.' as he slowly sank to his chair.

Taylor nodded and faced Ron and Crystal. With a charming smile he said, "I'm very proud and extremely elated to announce that Kris and I are engaged."

"No." Ron said, slamming his fist on the table.

Taylor frowned and said, "Yes. We are."

Ron looked angrily at Kris, who ducked his head.

"Kris. You're twenty-one for god's sake!" Crystal uttered impulsively. "You can't get married, you just can't."

"I'll say he can't." Ron declared, staring at his son, who was staring at the table. He witnessed Taylor reaching under the table and assumed he was holding his son's hand. He looked at Taylor and said, "Who do you think you are asking someone you met mere months ago to marry you?"

Kris looked up and said, "I... 'sort of'... asked him."

Ron's stare burned into Kris's eyes. "You? You don't know what you want! Why is it that you think you know what you want now?"

"I love him dad. He's what I want." Kris asserted.

"Kris honey-" Crystal shook her head, looking helplessly at her son. "Kris... think about this."

"Kris, don't throw your future away. Go to school, then when you've graduated and matured, you'll know what you want. Then you can get married if you still want to." Ron stated rigidly before crossing his arms to show his stubbornness and unyielding opinion.

"You know what?" Kris stood erect and choked out, "Screw you both! Come on Taylor, lets leave."

"Sit down Kris." Taylor spoke sternly, persuading Kris to do as he said.

Kris was annoyed and pissed off, but he sat back down anyway because Taylor had told him to and he respected his boyfriend. It wasn't that he didn't respect his parents, but he purposely avoided looking at them because they embarrassed him and let him down tremendously. He knew they would balk, but he didn't know they would try to interfere in his life and he certainly didn't expect them to forbid him to get married until after college. He sighed his displeasure loudly and sat quietly.

Taylor faced Kris's parents. He looked at them with determination in his eyes as he spoke, expressing himself passionately, "I love your son. We've lived together almost five months and we've been together almost as long. I don't know what I'd do without him. He makes me laugh, think and most importantly," Taylor glanced at Kris, then back at Ron and Crystal. "he makes me happy. I don't expect either of you to understand our relationship or anything about our love for each other, but please, you have to realize that he's old enough to make his own decisions. We all make mistakes and if this is a mistake, so be it. At least he and I will learn and grow and take something away from it, but from my standpoint, it's not an error or a misjudgment on either Kris's or my part."

Ron glared at Taylor, speechless. Crystal gazed at him with admiration before she glanced at Kris.

"Krissy, come here baby." Crystal said reaching for him after she stood up. "Give me a hug."

Kris rushed into his mothers arms and cried, "I just want you to accept us. We love each other and we want to be together. Forever."

"Shhhh" Crystal passed her hand over the back of her son's head several times as she tried to calm him. "It's ok. Don't cry honey."

Taylor looked away from Kris and his mother and stared at Ron. "Do you have a problem with him being gay?"

"Psssht. No." Ron grunted.

"Then is it me? You don't like me?" Taylor leaned forward, his forearms resting on the dinner table.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? The fact that we want to get married someday? Notice Kris nor I said we were tying the knot tomorrow or this Saturday." Taylor said sarcastically. He watched Ron chew his lip and determined that the man wasn't ready for his son to grow up and have his own life. He wasn't ready to see Kris in a relationship with another man. Taylor understood that Ron needed time and Taylor was willing to wait, even though he had a horrible track record with older men- his own father and neighbor for instance.

"Kris, I think it's time to go. I have to do something and you have to... do your thing." Taylor joked.

"Ok." Kris drew away from his mother. "Bye momma."

"Bye baby." Crystal said, wiping his tears with a napkin she picked up from the table. "Ohhh! You're not going to be my baby any more!" Crystal's mouth trembled.

"He'll always be your baby Crystal." Taylor smiled.

Crystal smiled at Kris and held his cheeks in her hands. "My baby is engaged. I can't believe it... and you asked him to boot."

Kris wanted to say he really didn't ask Taylor, but he came up with a plan to rectify that.

"And you!" Crystal walked to Taylor and hugged him. "I'm going to be gaining a son-in-law!"

"Crystal..." Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Things can change next month. Don't get overly excited now."

Crystal kissed Taylor and said to him, "I know you'll take great care of him."

"Of course I will. I don't want you coming after me with a rolling pin!" Taylor laughed.

~~**~~

"That didn't go so badly." Taylor rubbed Kris's leg with one hand- the other gripping the steering wheel as he drove home.

"I guess not. Thanks for your speech at the table."

"That wasn't a speech. It was a declaration of my love for you. Speech.... jeez." Taylor snickered.

"Can we park somewhere?" Kris asked.

"What do you mean 'park'? Taylor quizzed.

Kris placed his hand on top of Taylor's and felt the cool gold band on the palm of his hand. "Nowhere specific. How about somewhere quiet and where we can be alone."

"In the city?" Taylor asked and laughed.

"Ok. Let's go home." Kris said with a different idea in mind.

Taylor glanced at him, suspicious of what Kris was thinking, but shrugged it off.

~~**~~

At home, Taylor got out of his car and walked around to open Kris's door. He took Kris's hand and pulled him out. Hugging him close, Taylor said, "Your mom is such a good cook. Do you think her son has some of her skills?"

"No." Kris answered, my skills lay in using a phone book to order for delivery.

Taylor laughed. Before he could kiss Kris's mouth, Kris backed away and said, "Come with me."

"Where?"

"You'll see." Kris grinned as he walked to the pool area.

"Are we going skinny dipping?" Taylor arched an eyebrow at Kris.

"Nope." Kris waved his hand, indicating that Taylor move faster. He opened the locked gate with his key and let Taylor enter the pool area first. Kris looked around at the empty area and walked to the pool house where there was more light. Once there, he spun around and asked, "Do you remember me proposing to you?"

Taylor drew his eyebrows together. "Er... yea... I think so."

"Mm-Hm." Kris smirked, because he hadn't proposed. Taylor was too drunk to know that. Kris got down on one knee, looked up and asked, "Taylor Patterson, will you marry me?"

Taylor went down on his knee too and asked, "Kris, will YOU marry me? And my answer was and still is yes."

Kris laughed. "I wanted to do it right so we both remember the-- what the fu-"

Taylor had sneakily reached into his pocket and presented Kris with an engagement ring that was similar to his own, without the engraving.

Kris's eyes were glued to the box holding the band. He slowly gazed up and saw tears in Taylor's eyes, causing his own to tear up.

"Yes, yes, yes." Kris threw his arms around Taylor's neck, knocking them both over. Kris scraped his elbow, but he didn't care. He pecked Taylor's face softly with his lips and when he made it to his mouth, he kissed him fiercely. His hands and fingers tangled in Taylor's dark hair, mussing it up. When he was too breathless to go on kissing Taylor, he raised his head and rested his chin on Taylor's shoulder.

"Kris, if you're going to breathe that heavily in my ear, we have to go inside. Its turning me on to no end." Taylor said with a tight voice. "Get up."

Kris stood up and bent his arm to look at his elbow and winced.

"Does it hurt?" Taylor asked, examining the bloody scrape.

"It stings and burns. Kinda like when I had sex for the first time."

Taylor laughed loudly.

"I'm serious." Kris said with a smile, eyeing Taylor's expression.

"I know you are. That's why I'm laughing." Taylor took off his good shirt and dabbed Kris's wound. "Yikes. I think we better clean that up and bandage it."

Kris was astonished by Taylor's thoughtfulness and total disregard for his clothing. "You didn't have to use your shirt, you know." he said with a feeling of profound love for his fiancé.

Taylor stopped short of the townhouse front door. "I said I'd take care of you and this is one way I can. I can always buy another shirt. Oh here." Taylor plucked the ring out of the box and put it on Kris's finger. "It's a little loose. You'll have to wear it on the other finger."

"But then people will just think it's a ring, not an engagement ring." Kris complained.

"I'll get it resized then. Come along. We have to wash your elbow."

"Didn't know my elbow was a priority." Kris snickered.

"It is tonight." Taylor said as he turned the key in the door. The townhouse was dark and quiet. "Shhh. Luke and Noah must be in bed already."

Taylor turned on the living room light and led Kris to the bathroom. After he washed, cleaned and applied salve and a few band aids, he and Kris made themselves comfortable on the couch. Kris snuggled into Taylor's body as they watched a horror flick on HBO. They eventually fell asleep in each others arms.


	27. Chapter 27

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 27

SUMMARY: Skip ahead a little to the beginning of December. Taylor and Kris babysit Sabrina's and Jon's baby. (they're Taylor's friends from his birthday party) Small appearance by Luke. No Noah, sorry. **FLUFF-- A CONNECTING CHAPTER******

RATED: PG- with some language.

WARNING: out of character.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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"Bye." Kris waved at Noah. "Have fun taking pictures today."

"See you later." Noah smiled before he walked out the door. He had an outdoor photo shoot scheduled today and Luke was in the loft finishing his book. 'I'm on a fan-freaking-tastic roll' he had told Noah.

Kris turned back to Taylor, but he was still on the phone with Sabrina, his friend. He glanced at the tv, the movie they rented was on 'pause'. He sighed as he adjusted his legs, pulling one out from underneath himself and shaking it to get rid of the pins and needles sensation; it was a futile attempt. He shook it harder. Taylor looked at Kris with a brow arched and a questioning look in his eyes.

Kris pointed to his leg as he continued to shake it and mouthed, 'It fell asleep.'

Taylor nodded, then laughed when Kris brought his leg up a little too high and hit the underside of the coffee table with the top of his foot.

"AHHHRRGG!" Kris yelled out in pain, drawing his leg up. He rubbed the top of his foot and looked at Taylor irritatedly, only to smirk a second later.

Taylor rubbed Kris's head after he stood up and walked to the sliding glass doors to look outside. "NO! I did not just penetrate his ass!" Taylor laughed into the phone. "He hit his foot. I'm pretty sure it's not broken." he turned and winked at Kris, who was beet red.

"So, is an hour too long? I mean, Jon really wants to have lunch alone with me, but I hate to leave Austin." Sabrina said sadly. Leaving her firstborn for the first time with someone was going to be hell, but she was glad it was going to be with Taylor.

Taylor spoke in a calming manner, "You have to take some mommy time. Jon is right. You need to go out and have a great lunch without any worries. Kris and I will babysit."

Kris's head turned rapidly to the left. "Wha--?"

Taylor turned and put a finger to his lips, telling Kris silently to be quiet.

"Are you sure you two don't have plans? If you do, Jon would understand." Sabrina said, trying to get out of going out. She didn't think she was ready for the separation of her and the baby.

"I WANT to babysit my godchild." Taylor chuckled as he teased, "I have so much to teach him and I want to get a head start."

"Oh you are NOT going to start in already!" Sabrina laughed and shook her head.

"Of course I am, every chance I get. I'll teach him all the wrong words for things. I'll tell him his nose is called a 'pee-pee' and his butt is called a 'face'.'"

"TAYLOR!" Sabrina laughed.

"Mommy," Taylor said in a child- like voice. "I have a cold, give me a tissue so I can blow my pee-pee. Oh, Daddy I'm going to sit on my face when I eat supper." he laughed.

"You're awful!" Sabrina clicked her tongue.

"Aw, thanks. That's why you love me right?" Taylor turned away from the glass doors, laughing. He took his seat next to Kris on the couch and ran his hand up and down Kris's inner thigh.

"Yes, I love you. We'll see you both in a few."

"Good. We'll be waiting." Taylor smiled at Kris while his hand busied itself under the hem of Kris's shorts.

"Bye."

"Bye Sabrina." Taylor said. Without breaking eye contact with Kris, Taylor closed his phone and dropped it on the floor. "Get your cock holster over here now."

"Um?"

"Your cock holster Kris... your mouth." Taylor grinned. Kris's face brightened and he immediately flung a leg over Taylor's lap and straddled him, balancing himself with his hands placed on Taylor's shoulders.

"We're babysitting Austin?" Kris smiled as his finger ran down the front of Taylor's white wife beater.

"Yes. They're in town so they'll be here in just a few, so kiss me." Taylor's hands ran up and down Kris's back repeatedly before resting on Kris's hips. "Now kiddo."

Kris's hands swept to the back of Taylor's neck as he leaned forward. His tongue hesitated before it gently licked at Taylor's lips.

"Mmmm" Taylor sighed. His tongue emerged as he raised one hand to the back of Kris's head. His fingers firmly grasped a handful of blond locks and pulled. Kris opened his mouth as his face lifted to the ceiling. "Ahhh...."

Taylor moved in and commenced kissing, licking, nibbling, gnawing and sucking every exposed inch of Kris's neck and throat. The more persistent and urgent his actions were on Kris's delicate neck, the more he felt Kris's erection grow harder and harder

"Ummnng... Taylor...." Kris moaned, trying to lift his head without success; Taylor had a fistful of hair that was keeping him in place. "do we have.... uuuhhh.... time to--"

"No we don't, unfortunately." Taylor let go of Kris's hair.

Kris rubbed the back of his head, then wiped his wet neck and throat with the hem of his shirt. "You're slobbery today."

"Slobbery?" Taylor laughed. "Can't help it- you taste so good I just had to lick you."

"If that's the case, you should have licked me all over." Kris giggled.

"Hey!"

Kris shrugged. "Just sayin.'"

"Hm, maybe later. Right now we have to get our mindset ready to babysit."

"Not yet. Get your cock-eater over here."

Taylor's cock tingled. He wanted Kris right now, but he couldn't have him. He was frustrated because Sabrina would be there soon and that made him want Kris all the more.

Kris lowered his head and kissed Taylor. They took turns moaning and thrusting tongues into each other's mouth. Taylor cupped Kris's ass with his hands while Kris cupped Taylor's face. They each knew not to move their hips. They knew not to grind, but it was so hard because they both wanted to. They had to make a conscious effort not to.

Taylor pulled back first. Both his chest and Kris's heaved as they gasped for air, their lips and tongues were burning from the friction and their bodies lightly perspiring. Even though everything was still going on around them, the world seemed to stop spinning while they continued to stare into each others eyes.

"Hi." Kris said shyly.

"Hello there. Come here often?" Taylor chuckled.

"Cum here? Or did you mean come here as in do I sit in your lap often?" Kris asked, sucking in his bottom lip.

Taylor opened his mouth to respond, but he didn't know how to say it without making Kris feel like a dumbass. "I-- forget it."

"Taylor! I was kidding! I get the joke. I just wanted to see what you would do." Kris laughed hard, hugging Taylor.

"Are you kidding?"

"Yes, I got it! You're funny." Kris kissed Taylor's ear. "You should have seen your face. You looked totally stupefied! And I know that's a word because I heard it in a song on MTV."

Taylor shook his head. "You are something Kris, and yet, I still love you." he teased.

"I love you too, even if you have a weird boyfriend." Kris teased back.

The sound of the doorbell stopped their giggling, laughter and teasing.

"Oh shit!" Kris said, standing up. "I have the hugest boner ever!"

Taylor laughed as his hand covered Kris's mouth. "Quiet, you goofball." He looked down and widened his eyes when he saw the tent in Kris's shorts. "It has to be the way those shorts hang loose on you." he said in a whisper as his eyes met Kris's. He lowered his hand from Kris's mouth and told him to sit on the couch. "Maybe cross your legs too." Taylor added as he walked to the door.

"No way. That will cut off circulation to my cock, then it'll fall asleep."

"Well, think about this," Taylor said, facing Kris and placing his hand on the door handle. "If it sleeps now, it'll be up all night." he winked and opened the door.

"Sabrina, Jon! Come in." Taylor greeted his friends. "Hi Austin." Taylor peeked into the removable, baby car seat, seeing Austin's peaceful face. "Aw, he's asleep."

Sabrina walked into the room, smiled at Kris, and asked, "How are you Kris?"

Kris crossed his legs as she neared and smiled back. "Fine thanks, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm tired, my house is a mess and I've been neglecting Jon, or so he tells me. Other than that, I'm peachy keen." she laughed.

Jon set the car seat on the floor in the living room and stood back up. "You can keep him in there while he's asleep. When he wakes up, he'll be hungry again." He took the baby bag off his shoulder and handed it to Taylor. "There's a bottle of breast milk in there. Put it in the fridge until you need it, then you'll run it under hot water for a few seconds, just until it's warm. You do know how to give a bottle, right?"

"Yes, I've been reading all kinds of baby books for a while now." Taylor said while he looked at Austin. "Hear that baby? No ta-ta's for you. Mine are useless."

"Not ta-ta's, they're called fun bags." Jon joked. "Just look at the size they are." he looked at Sabrina and grinned.

"Guys!" Sabrina scolded in fun. "They're breasts and that's what Austin will be calling them when he's old enough. Not fun bags, tata's, knockers or racks. Got it?" she pointed a finger at her husband, then shook the same finger at Taylor.

"Me?" Taylor laughed.

"Yes you!" Sabrina shook her head. "You're a bad influence."

"You know," Kris spoke up. "my friends and I always referred to them as chesticles."

"Ah!" Sabrina let out a short, surprised laugh while Taylor and Jon burst into uproarious laughter.

"You...." Jon tried to speak between gasps of breath. "have... got a.....winner....there! He's my.....favorite.... one so.....far!"

Taylor slowed his laughter to speak. "The only one from now on. Remember?" He held up his hand- brandishing his engagement ring.

Sabrina smiled and said, "I think you and Kris make a great couple. There's Kris's innocence, boyish good looks, his sense of humor and everything else wrapped up in that perfect body. Then you have Taylor."

"Yeaaa?" Taylor asked, waiting for Sabrina's compliments.

"What? Oh, you? No, that's all. Then you have Taylor." she laughed as she walked over to her husband. She took his hand and smiled at Kris and Taylor. After a pause, she asked, "You have both of our cell numbers, right? We're going to Rosa's to eat. Do you have a phone book? The number is in there."

"Yes we do. Don't worry. Austin is in good hands." Taylor assured her.

"I trust Kris, it's you I worry about!" Sabrina laughed before she knelt down and kissed her baby on the forehead. "Bye sweetie, be good for Uncle Taylor and Uncle Kris."

Taylor smiled and glanced at Kris, who was grinning proudly, honored to included with Taylor's title as an 'Uncle'.

"Let's go Sabrina." Jon helped her up. "I'm starving."

"Is that your way of saying I've been too busy with Austin to feed you?" she asked.

"No dear," Jon said before subtly winking at Taylor.

"So," Taylor closed the front door and turned to Kris, smiling. "Uncle Kris. What do you want to do first?"

Kris rose off the couch and sat next to Austin's car seat, staring at the sleeping baby. "I just want to look at him for a while."

"Me too." Taylor secretly cheered. He sat on the other side of Austin and gazed at the little boy lovingly.

"Look at his dark hair. It's so fine. Feel it." Taylor said, touching it with a fingertip.

Kris's fingertips gently caressed the top of Austin's head. "Ew. What is that?"

"The soft spot? That's called the fontanel. It'll close up when he gets older. Cool isn't it?" Taylor asked, laying his finger on it. "Oh and look, you can see his heartbeat moving on it."

"Hm." Kris brushed his finger along Austin's cheek. "God, he's so soft. He's got such a cute little nose and those tiny red lips are shaped like a bow.

"He's gorgeous." Taylor stared adoringly at his godson. "He's perfect. Just think Kris, he hasn't made any mistakes, hurt anyone's feelings, or disappointed anyone. He's never looked at a person with scorn, judgment or hatred."

"He's amazing." Kris smiled, taking his finger and dragging it down Austin's bottom lip. It made a 'blurp' sound when he let it go. He giggled and did it again. Taylor stared at Kris, smiling and watching him enjoy himself with Austin.

Kris traced Austin's ear. "Man, it's so little!" he said in amazement, continuing to touch Austin's face and head with wonder.

"Yes." Taylor answered, glancing at the baby, and back to Kris's awestruck face.

"Uh-oh!" Kris looked at Taylor when he heard Austin coo and wiggle. "What do we do?"

"Nothing." Taylor took Kris's hand and held it. "He's just making noise and getting comfortable."

"Oh." Kris smiled at Taylor and asked, "Can we take him out of this thing?"

"You want to hold him?" Taylor asked, thrilled that Kris was so interested in the baby.

Kris nodded hard. "I'd love to, if you think it's ok." he tilted his head, hoping it would be alright.

"Of course it's alright." Taylor said, turning the car seat to face Kris. "First, press that red button between his legs and pull the buckle out." He watched Kris do that with ease. "Good, now unbuckle the one on his chest holding those two harnesses together."

Kris unbuckled Austin and spread the harnesses apart. He went ahead and carefully pulled Austin's arms through them, then waited for Taylor's directions.

"Do you know where you want to sit?" Taylor asked, looking around.

Kris looked around too. "The recliner, but in the upright position."

"Ok." Taylor nodded and crawled to the recliner to remove both throw pillows. "Ready."

"How do I pick him up?" Kris asked, looking at Austin. He seemed so fragile.

"Have a seat, I'll bring him to you." Taylor said before he placed one hand behind Austin's head to support it, and the other hand under his little butt. "Oh... shit."

"Is something wrong?" Kris was about to sit down, but didn't.

Taylor shook his head. "Shit."

"Is he ok? Did we hurt him?" Kris began to panic.

"No. calm down. He.... 'pooped'. It's leaked out of the side of the diaper. It's on his outfit."

Kris giggled.

"Get the diaper bag and stop laughing." Taylor jerked his head in the direction where he left the bag.

Kris retrieved it and said, "Now what?"

"There should be a mat or something in there I can lay him on. If not, get me a clean bath towel." Taylor said in a rushed way.

"Here it is." Kris said, laying out a diaper changing mat on the floor. Taylor set Austin down gently and rose off the floor. "Start undressing him. I have to wash my hand."

Kris dug through the bag, then just dumped out everything. Wipes, Desitin, diapers, two extra changes of clothing, a light jacket, a thermometer... and other items spilled onto the floor.

"Wow." Kris muttered, pulling off Austin's socks, then his soiled fleece pants. "You sure have a lot of stuff for a little guy. Your shi- uh, poop doesn't even smell." Kris smiled at Austin, seeing him rouse a little. He pulled the velcro tabs on the diaper and opened it up, then immediately flipped it back up, holding it in place.

Taylor saw what Kris did as he walked back into the room and asked, "What are you doing?"

"He was going to pee on me!" Kris said in a high pitched voice.

"Babies do that. They feel the cool air on their body and pee. He didn't think, 'Hm, Uncle Kris looks like the type who's into golden showers'." Taylor teased, then laughed.

Kris reddened and mumbled, "Shut up. I know that."

"Good because I think he's done. Babies don't have big bladders." Taylor reached for the packet of wipes and a clean diaper.

"Taylor. Look at his toes." Kris grinned happily.

Taylor chuckled and replied, "Cute huh?" as he stared at Kris with love.

"He's got such skinny legs." Kris said, feeling the right one. "God he's just so...."

"I know." Taylor smiled at Kris, a sparkle lighting up his eyes.

Kris smiled back and nodded, "Ok, here we go." he pulled the diaper down as Taylor lifted Austin's legs.

"Take a wipe and start from the back, bringing it forward." Taylor advised Kris. "Maybe one more pass with another wipe. Just leave that dirty one on the diaper."

"Is this good?" Kris asked, hoping he passed the test.

"Perfect. Now move that dirty diaper and slide the clean one under him." Taylor lowered Austin's butt on the clean diaper. "Ok, put it on now."

"Look at his..."

"Yup, that's cute too Kris. Put the diaper on."

"But it looks like a normal one, only mini sized." Kris said. "And his little balls! They're so cute."

Taylor chuckled. "He IS a human being Kris. He'll grow up and become a man like you and I."

"I know, but he's so adorable. I can't stop looking at him. Look at his little belly button. Kris touched it, seeing Austin stir before letting out a small whimper. Kris gasped and pulled his hand away. He looked to Taylor with uncertainty, then back at the baby. Austin brought his fist up and opened his small mouth to suck on it. "What do we do?" Kris asked Taylor.

"It's alright." Taylor smiled at Austin's actions. To Kris he said, "Get him dressed, then you can hold him. He's probably hungry." Taylor said as he handed Kris a clean pair of fleece pants and a pair of socks for Austin.

Austin began to whimper, shaking his head slightly, trying in vain to find a nipple on his fist. Kris tried hard to dress him as fast as he could while Taylor left the room to heat up the bottle. Once he was in the kitchen, he could hear Austin's full out wails.

"Kris?? Is that you crying?" Luke called through the open door of the loft and laughed. "Whose baby?" he asked, coming down the stairs.

"Taylor's friends, Sabrina and Jon. Remember them from the party?" Kris answered in a frightened voice.

Luke crouched next to Kris and put his hand on his roommates shoulder. "Yea. Hey, relax. I think he or she is hungry. Where is Taylor?"

"His name is Austin and Taylor is getting a bottle for me."

"I think Austin needs the bottle more than you do." Luke teased.

"Haa-Haa." Kris said sarcastically.

Luke chuckled and stood up. "It was nice meeting you Austin, but now you have to be quiet. I'm trying to write, buddy, ok?"

As if understanding Luke, Austin quieted down and gave his fist another try. It didn't last long. As soon as Luke was back in the loft, Austin opened his mouth and screamed. His little tongue quivering, his cheeks turning dark red and his forehead turning purple. His fists were on either side of his head, shaking as if scolding Kris.

"Here." Taylor quickly handed the bottle to Kris and picked up Austin. "There, there big guy. We have what you want. Shhh... it's ok."

Kris watched Taylor gently bounce up and down as he walked to the recliner. "Go wash your hands, then get over here Kris."

Kris left, then came back and rapidly sat in the chair.

"Hold your arms out. Your forearm under his neck. Ok. Got him?" Taylor asked, but didn't wait for an answer because he could see his godson was in very good hands. "I'm going to get a pillow to prop up your arm. Go ahead and feed him."

Kris put the tip of the nipple on Austin's bottom lip. He immediately stopped crying and opened his mouth, clamped his lips around the nipple and began sucking so hard that his cheeks sunk in and out. Kris watched Austin open his eyes. He smiled when Austin locked his beautiful, dark blue eyes on him, staring at him as he drank.

Taylor shoved a pillow under Kris's arm to support it. "There." He looked at Kris, who was doing an amazing job, then he gazed at Austin and leaned down. "Hey there sweetie. Is that good? Yea? I bet you'll get big and strong drinking that stuff, won't you?" He kissed Austin's forehead, then Kris's lips.

"He won't stop staring at me." Kris giggled happily.

"He's wondering why a male is feeding him and not his mommy." Taylor chuckled. "Lord knows you don't have the... what did you call them? Chesticles!"

"Yup, chesticles." Kris beamed at Taylor, then looked down at Austin. With his free hand, he reached for the baby's hand. Austin opened his fist and took hold of Kris's finger, grasping it tightly.

"Oh my god Taylor! Is it possible to fall in love with a baby you've known maybe fifteen minutes?" Kris asked, staring at Austin's fingers and fingernails. Austin fascinated him.

"Of course. I love him too. There's nothing not to love." Taylor caressed Austin's head with the back of his index finger. He looked at Kris and said in a serious manner, "You're doing a fantastic job. You'll be a great daddy someday." he hinted with a secretive smile.

"Thanks. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't here though."

"We're working together. We're doing fine." Taylor emphasized 'we'.


	28. Chapter 28

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 28

SUMMARY: Two Weeks Before Christmas. Luke and Noah help Kris. Taylor and Kris Drama Occurs. (It may seen overboard. Heck, it probably is, but it's Just a story)

RATED/WARNING: R for Sensitive Content, Language and Implied Sexual Occurrence

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand. When I began this story, I told her 14 chps. Oops! She's been great and very understanding. Thanks Kat! 

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Taylor frustratedly closed the laptop that he received as an early Christmas present from Luke, Noah and Kris. They all had chipped in and presented it to him a few days ago. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and made a phone call.

He was alone at the townhouse. Luke and Noah, had taken Kris to a Christmas movie that he'd no interest in seeing. Some comedy with Santa and Elves.

The phone picked up on the other end. Taylor spoke urgently without addressing the person he called. He just asked, "Did it work?"

He was silent for a moment, then he swore, "Shit!"

The person on the other end spoke again, trying to calm him down without success.

Taylor replied, "No, no. It's not very promising. The success rates are very low. I was just on the internet. I don't know what to do."

He listened briefly, but interrupted with disappointment. "No, It's too expensive. I'll have to give up. Thanks anyway. What?" Taylor said and listened carefully.

"Ha Ha. Yeah right." Taylor laughed, thinking this was a joke.

"Really? No, I couldn't." he said, shaking his head.

"Yes! Of course I really want this." Taylor said in a strong, serious voice as he opened his mouth, realizing what he was agreeing to. He'd become so engaged in the conversation that he didn't hear the guys come through the front door.

"So we ARE going to do this?" Taylor asked, his breath stuck thickly in his chest.

"Jesus, holy fuck!" he grinned, but asked, "You're sure this is ok?"

"Alright!" Taylor shouted in the phone. "When?"

"Yea, I can come. Er..." Taylor laughed along with the other person on the phone at his choice of words.

"I'll talk to him, but I'm sure it's fine. We both want this. God Cassandra, thank you!" Taylor said and hung up.

"Cassandra?" Kris asked. "Oh yea, her girlfriend is Amber, right? How is she?"

Taylor stood up and spun Kris around. "Kris! I have something to tell you."

"We'll leave you two alone." Luke said, grabbing Noah's hand.

"No, stay! This involves you two as well, indirectly." Taylor grinned at Noah and Luke. His eyes shone like never before. Luke and Noah took a seat on the couch. Taylor told Kris to sit next to Noah while he stood before the three eager and interested men.

"Cassandra and I have been going to a clinic in San Marino. We've gone three times to get her artificially inseminated, but none of the procedures have worked."

"You...."

"Yes Kris." Taylor turned to him. "I want a child now, while I'm young. I thought you did too, at least you've said you did. You were so great with Austin."

"I do, but--" _'Why didn't he tell me he was doing this already? It's like he did it behind my back!'_

"It was going to be a Christmas gift. I wanted to surprise you, to tell you that Cassandra was pregnant on Christmas Eve."

Noah replied, "That would have been a hell of a surprise. Luke, don't get any ideas now."

Luke elbowed him, "We're not even engaged, what makes you think I'd want a kid with you?" he teased. "I'm not a slut."

"I can easily make you one tonight." Noah spoke softly out of the corner of his mouth. Luke snickered.

"Guys." Taylor said, looking at Luke and Noah with impatience. "I'm not done."

"So Cassandra isn't pregnant?" Kris asked, wondering why Taylor was so excited.

"No Kris, she's not. There was only a ten to twenty percent chance for each attempt and it was getting too expensive to keep trying."

"So, you're not trying anymore?" Kris asked.

"Why don't you do that invitro-fertilization thing?" Luke asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Taylor looked at Luke with wide eyes. "Shit Luke, I looked that up and it's around 10,000 dollars! I can't afford that!"

"Ouch! That's a high price for a kid." Noah agreed. "You can adopt."

"No, I really want a child with my DNA and I want to be a better dad than Grant was to me. That's not why I want a child, so get those looks off your faces. I AM doing this for other reasons."

Luke eyed Noah and laid his head on Noah's shoulder. "mmmm...." he sighed, reaching for Noah's hand to hold. He laced their fingers together just as Noah kissed his blond head.

"Um, maybe you two should--" Taylor hinted to Noah and Luke because he had something else he wanted to discuss in private with Kris.

Noah nodded. "Lets take a walk." he said to Luke as he pulled him up. Luke hugged Noah and gave him a huge, wet, sloppy kiss in front of his roommates.

"I don't want to walk. Let's go for a swim in the pool." Luke suggested. "Then I can see you practically naked in public." he gave Noah a lusty look before running to the stairs and up to the loft to change. Noah followed him laughing.

Taylor sat next to Kris and took both of his hands. "Want to wait until they're gone?"

Anxiously, Kris replied, "No. what do you want to tell me?"

Taylor shifted his position so that his whole body was turned to Kris. "Cassandra and I have figured out a way to have the baby, basically for free- aside from all medical care for her and birthing costs. I'd pay for that." Taylor grinned and let go of Kris's hands to cradle his face. He couldn't help staring at Kris's luscious lips before he kissed them. He watched Kris's eyes slowly close, then closed his own.

"Whoo, look at the love birds Noah!" Luke giggled, walking past the living room in his swim trunks and a towel flung over a shoulder.

"Nice guys." Noah spoke up as he swatted Luke on the ass with his twisted towel.

"YOW!" Luke yelled and whirled around, rubbing his ass. "You're going to pay for that later."

"I was planning on it." Noah smirked. "look, they're still kissing." he motioned with his head to Taylor and Kris.

"I'm happy for them." Luke said with a smile.

"I'm more happy for us." Noah dragged his finger down Luke's hairy chest to the waistband of his trunks. He dipped that finger inside and pulled the elastic toward himself. He looked inside and grinned. "It's bobbing like a buoy. Think it'll keep you afloat?"

"Shut up. Can't help that it arises to occasion when I see you naked." Luke laughed as Noah snapped the waistband back into place. "Let's go, my perfect, perverted playmate." Luke looked back once at Kris and Taylor and hooked his elbow. Noah reached through it before they walked out the door arm in arm.

Taylor broke the kiss. Kris opened his heavy, blurred eyes and grinned goofily. "Ahh." he sighed weakly. "Can we go to the bedroom?"

"You want to talk in the bedroom?" Taylor asked.

"No." Kris said shyly. "You know."

"Oh!" Taylor grinned widely, his eyes crinkled around the outsides. "No, I can't right now. Let me finish telling you what's going on."

Kris stared expectantly at Taylor's face. His lips were moving, but Kris wasn't listening. He was imagining those very lips caressing and kissing his body. Taylor's animated hand movements caught his eye. He thought about Taylor touching him, stroking him, prodding his opening with his fingers. A sudden and unexpected moan forced it's way between Kris's lips.

Taylor stopped talking and tilted his head, wondering what Kris was thinking. "Did you hear a word I said, or were you too caught up in thinking about the bedroom?"

"No, I was listening." Kris stuck his chin out.

"Really? What did I say?" Taylor frowned, knowing Kris hadn't been paying attention.

"Um...."

"Dammit Kris! This is important to me." Taylor said. "It should be important to you as well."

"Why? You're talking about your baby."

"Because I was under the impression we were going to get married someday." Taylor said sarcastically. "That makes the child ours."

"But not until we're married. You'll be it's dad. I'll be a glorified uncle or something."

"No you won't. Lots of people that aren't married have kids. They're still considered the parents."

"Maybe with straight couples because there's the egg donor and the sperm donor. Mother and father. What am I? I'm not contributing anything."

"You will once he or she is born! Jesus Kris! You're planning on raising it with me, aren't you?"

"I will, but you kinda sprung this on me. Do we have to do this now- have a baby?"

Taylor hung his head before he began shaking it. "This isn't going to work."

"What isn't?" Kris asked.

"Nothing." Taylor replied depressingly. He looked at Kris and gave him a grim look. He rose, sighing heavily. His dream was suddenly snatched away from him and he couldn't fault Kris for that. He should have known better than to do this behind his back as a surprise. It was a big deal to him, but he still should have consulted Kris first. But damn, he really thought Kris would be receptive to having a baby with him, especially after seeing him with Austin. Taylor walked away, not hearing Kris calling him, begging him to come back, asking where he was going.

He'd decided he wanted this, more than anything and if Kris didn't like it, it was too bad. This was his life too and life was too short. Sacrificing his relationship wasn't an intelligent action, but he had to do it. If Kris broke up with him, then it wasn't meant to be.

Kris grabbed Taylor from behind and held him. "Where are you going? Are you leaving me? I don't understand!"

Taylor turned around. "I want a baby. I feel it in here." he said as he clutched the part of his shirt that covered his heart. "It's a need, a desire, an urge Kris, and I don't want to ignore it. I heard your position on the matter and I care what you think. I really do, but I have to do this for myself-- with or without you."

The words hit Kris hard. Stunned, he just looked at Taylor with a blank face.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Taylor asked, resting his hand on Kris's shoulder.

Kris opened his mouth, and all that popped out was, "Where are you going?"

Taylor stiffened and answered, "To make a baby with Cassandra."

Kris wheezed. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He watched Taylor open the front door and leave. _'_**Make**_ a baby? Make one? How? Oh No, No, No, NO!!'_

Kris didn't know how long he had been standing there. He broke out of his thoughts and forced himself to run as fast as he could to Taylor's car, but Taylor was already driving away.

"Run faster! Have to catch him!" Kris yelled to himself, gritting his teeth. He caught up and banged on the trunk of Taylor's car with his fists.

Taylor looked in the rearview mirror and slowed to a stop before he got to the gate.

Kris's chest was heaving, his breath coming out in gasps and rasps. He leaned into Taylor's open window and said, "How? How are you making a baby?" His sweat dripped down his forehead, into his eyes. He rubbed them and looked at Taylor worriedly.

"The usual way. Man and woman join and-"

"No, you can't. I won't let you!" Kris grabbed Taylor's arm. "Let's go back inside."

"Kris. I want this. I feel very strongly about this, got it?"

"No I don't 'get it'. You're going to cheat on me!" he yelled defensively.

"I am not!" Taylor became angry.

"You're leaving me to go fuck your friend so she gets pregnant with your child. Tell me that's not cheating!"

"It's not. Kris, I'm **gay**."

"Then you wouldn't be leaving me to fuck a girl!"

"It's not fucking. I'm basically injecting sperm into her. That's all. It's going to be mechanical and not at all romantic. Besides Kris, she's gay too- there is no attraction, no need to be worried! I'm coming back to YOU!"

"Is Amber ok with this?" Kris sneered, hoping that Amber would have objected.

"Yes. She said she'd even sit in the room with Cassandra and hold her hand afterwards. Look, I have to go. She's ovulating and there's just a small window until next month. I don't want to wait. I'll be waiting for nine months as it is. Do YOU want to come? Help me get hard?" he asked seriously.

"You're disgusting! How can you even ask me that? How can you think about doing 'it' with her? I don't get you Taylor. I just don't." Kris shook his head slowly. He said sarcastically, "Go on and cheat on me!" Kris backed away from the car and watched Taylor leave. He had hoped Taylor would have changed his mind and driven back to him, but he didn't. _'He left me to have sex with her. He's going to have SEX with her.'_

Kris hung his head and saw the white gold band on his finger. He began walking back to the townhouse. Surprisingly, he wasn't crying. He thought he'd be more upset, maybe the reality of the situation hadn't set in yet. He passed the gate surrounding the pool. He tried the entrance door that was usually locked. Thankfully it opened and he entered the pool area.

Without a sound, he sat on a chaise lounge and watched Luke dunk Noah in the pool, then heard Luke's devilish laugh.

"Hi Kris!" Luke smiled and swam over to his roommate. "How did the talk go?"

"Yea." Noah added, swimming to the side of the pool. "Have you and Taylor decided how you're going to become parents of a bouncing baby boy or girl?"

Kris snapped out of the daze he was in. He looked at Noah, then Luke as if he didn't know them and began to shake as if it were freezing in California.

Luke frowned at Noah, after seeing that something was wrong with their roommate. He turned back to Kris in time to see him pull his ring off and launch it into the deep end of the pool. Noah quickly dove under to retrieve it as Luke pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the pool.

"Kris? What happened? What's wrong?" Luke asked. "Where's Taylor?"

"G-Gone" Kris whispered. "We f-fought."

Noah perched himself on the pool's edge as well. He put the discarded ring in the small pocket of his suit and shut it with the velcro enclosure. "Kris?" Noah asked, concerned when he saw his roommate trembling all over. He wasn't crying or sobbing, just shaking uncontrollably that was growing in volume with every second that passed.

Noah and Luke both got up and pulled Kris up from the lounge chair. "Kris, lets go inside." Luke said hurriedly.

"Come on, walk." Noah said encouragingly, but Kris wouldn't. Noah ended up carrying Kris inside and set him on the couch next to Luke. They were dripping chlorinated water all over, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that Kris seemed to be in shock or something.

"Tell me what's wrong." Luke said, placing a hand on Kris's arm- his body was shuddering violently now, his face was ashen and his eyes were vacant.

"Noah, we have to do something. Call Taylor." Luke said, looking up at his boyfriend.

Noah pointed to Taylor's cell phone on the coffee table next to his laptop.

Luke's face fell. "Oh damn!" he swore. Settling on his knees in front of Kris, he asked, "Where did he go? Noah can leave, find him, and bring him back."

Kris stared at Luke with empty, non-seeing eyes. Luke looked up helplessly at Noah.

"I'm going to die." a small voice whispered.

Luke looked at Kris and asked, "What?"

Kris blinked and said in a monotone voice. "I'm going to kill myself."

Noah's head jerked back. "No, you're not. When Taylor comes back, we'll get this all fixed. You'll see. Everything will be fine."

Kris stood up, pushing Luke out of the way, and walked robot-like to the kitchen. Noah and Luke looked at each other before they rushed to follow him. They saw him rummaging through a drawer before his hand appeared, grasping a sharp, ten inch carving knife. With his arms stretched out, he pointed the sharp tip at himself, aiming for his stomach, intending to bring it forward forcefully.

"NO!" Luke and Noah yelled, lurching forward.

Noah grabbed Kris's wrists while Luke dodged to the side and grabbed Kris around the waist. They fell onto the floor with Luke straddling him. Luke gasped for breath, looked up at Noah, and said, "Call 911 now." he looked back to Kris, who seemed to be faraway in his own world- unable to function without help.

"Kris? Listen to me. Can you hear me?" Luke sighed, getting no reaction, not even a glint of recognition. "Come on Kris!" he gently slapped the catatonic, blond's cheek with the back of his hand. "Please, say something."

"I want to die. I want to die. I want to die." he murmured over and over and over until the ambulance came.

After the paramedics took Kris, Luke and Noah quickly changed out of their suits and went to the psychiatric ward at the hospital, leaving as soon as Luke finished scribbling a note to Taylor to let him know where they were.

"Well that certainly was different." Cassandra was laying on her and Amber's bed with her legs propped up for the flow of semen to reach its destination. She was to stay put for at least fifteen minutes. Amber caressed her cheek and smiled at her.

Taylor chuckled and said, "Different? That was absolutely weird. No offense, but my cock got disoriented in there!" Laughing, he pulled up his underwear and jeans.

"Taylor!" Cassandra laughed.

Amber laughed, "I would think so. You kind of seemed like you didn't know what you were doing at first."

"I didn't! Good thing I closed my eyes." Taylor snickered as he put his belt on.

"Oh! My body turned you off?" Cassandra giggled.

"I'm used to seeing Kris's face beneath me. In fact, I should get back. I'm a little worried about how I left him."

"Do you want to shower before you go?" Amber asked. "He might be jealous if he smells my woman on you."

"It's not like we kissed and touched each other Amber. Besides, I can shower at home, I just need to get there." Taylor sat on the bed and put his socks and shoes on. He stood up and smiled at the women. "Thanks Cassandra." he said, then planted a kiss on her cheek. "I appreciate you doing this for me and Kris. I really do. And thank you Amber. You're a trooper." he kissed her too and left.

"So, how was it pussycat?" Amber asked Cassandra with a smirk.

"Not how I thought." Cassandra smiled as she brought Amber's head down for a kiss. "I'll stick with you and your strap on."

Taylor was well on his way home, thinking about how to rationalize what he'd HAD to do. Kris didn't understand so he had to think of a way to put it into words that Kris would understand. He knew once the baby was born, that Kris would be an excellent father. Once he convinced Kris that being with Cassandra wasn't an intimate thing, not even remotely, he was sure Kris would come around.

Taylor traced his lips thoughtfully. _'Kris has had plenty of time to think. He should be ok by now. He KNOWS I'm not turned on by females, nor is Cassandra turned on by males. I may have to do some damage control, talk about what happened, and afterwards, a nice long session of making love should convince him that doing this was my last hope. That should do it.'_

At home, Taylor absently picked up the note lying next to his cell phone. "Taylor" it said in Luke's handwriting. He looked around and saw water marks all over the floor and furniture. _'What in the hell were Luke and Noah thinking? There's water all over the place.'_

"Kris!" Taylor called out as he walked to the bedroom. He saw water puddled on the kitchen floor and scowled. "Christ almighty, what the hell? Kris?" Taylor opened his bedroom door, finding the room empty. He looked in Kris's room, but no one was there either. Discouraged because he wanted to settle this with Kris, he walked back to the living room, sat on the dry recliner and unfolded the note. It was written poorly because Luke had been in a hurry, but he could read it. He read it again to make sure he'd read it right the first time and stood up, crumpling the note in the process.

Taylor sped through town to reach the hospital. He entered the psychiatric clinic entrance and saw Luke and Noah sitting in the waiting room. He rushed to them and asked, "What happened? Jesus! Tell me! What happened?" When Taylor saw the looks on his roommates faces, he began to quake from fright.

Luke shook his head, not able to talk, so Taylor sat next to Noah and begged, "What happened Noah? I need to know!"

"He-- He....." Noah looked down. "Sorry."

"What the fuck happened!" Taylor yelled and abruptly stood up. He stared angrily at Noah and asked, "I want to see Kris! Where is he? Is he hurt- dead? Just fucking tell me!"

"Sir." The female receptionist said, "Please quiet down or go outside. You need to respect the others around you."

Taylor looked around and saw faces staring at him. He turned away and said, "I don't care. Noah, tell me now or so help me." he balled up a fist.

"Ok, but outside." Noah answered as he stood up, then faced Luke. He asked. "Will you be alright in here alone Luke?"

Luke looked up with tears in his eyes and nodded.

Noah kissed the top of his blond head and said, "Come outside and get us if the doctor comes ok."

"Yea." Luke replied, lacing his hands together before he set them in his lap.

Outside, Noah recounted what he had witnessed, claiming that Kris didn't give him or Luke a reason as to why he wanted to die, but Taylor already knew why. He covered his eyes as tears blinded him. Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out Kris's engagement ring. He sighed, then tapped Taylor on the shoulder.

Taylor removed his hand from his eyes and looked at Noah's face. Noah's eyes lowered to his hand, to the ring he was holding.

Taylor followed Noah's eyes downward and choked on a sob. He took the ring and brought it to his mouth. After he kissed it, he put it on his other ring finger. "Ohhhhhh No, Noah...." he quietly cried, until they heard a screech from a car behind them.

Crystal and Ron exited the car. Ron ran inside, but Crystal spotted Taylor. "Oh Taylor!" she yelled, sobbing. "Is it true? The doctor called and told us Kris tried to.... to...." She reached him and hugged him tightly. "Why did this happen? What is going on?"

"I don't know Crystal. I just arrived too." Taylor spoke with a tremendous amount of guilt on his shoulders. "God... I can't be.... here. I have... to go..." he sputtered.

"You can't go now! Kris is your fiancé. He's going to want to see you and you need to be here for him. He loves you so much Taylor. He'd do anything for you, please be here for him." Crystal begged through warm, wet tears.

Noah put an arm around Taylor and said in his ear, "It's the right thing to do Taylor. I don't know what your fight was about, but you and he have to make up or at the very least, talk."

Taylor glanced at Noah and mumbled, "He's not going to want to see me. He's **never** going to want to see me **ever** again."

"Stop it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about how Kris feels. Whatever the argument, you'll both figure this out together."

Taylor said nothing to Noah. He walked inside with Crystal and Noah on either side of him. Ron turned away from the Doctor standing in front him, seeing his wife come in with the two men.

"Crystal." he said in a tense state. "This is Doctor Simon. He says Kris won't go into detail about what happened. He's just sitting in the room staring at the floor."

Crystal dabbed her eyes and asked the doctor, "You don't know why he threatened to take his own life? He won't tell you what's wrong? Maybe I can talk to him. I'm his mother." She stared at Dr. Simon through her stinging, red eyes.

"He's told me some details and due to patient/doctor confidentiality, I cannot in my right mind tell you what he's said to me without his permission. I can take you to him and you can talk to him yourself. Alright?" Dr. Simon said before leading Kris's mother to a room consisting of a bed, chair and bathroom. Kris was sitting in the chair, his arms crossed, resting on his chest, his legs crossed at the ankle and his eyes fixed on his shoes.

Dr. Simon and Crystal entered the room. Crystal immediately burst into tears and ran to Kris. She hugged him tightly despite his disinterested attitude.

"Could we have a moment alone Dr. Simon?" Crystal sobbed.

"Yes, of course." he replied, backing out of the room.

Ron faced Taylor. "What went on between you two?" he asked, furious at Taylor for not taking care of Kris as he'd promised.

"I--" Taylor sighed and ducked his head. _'This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so selfish, none of this would have happened. I shouldn't have put my needs before his. I can't believe I just drove off thinking I could come back and we could 'talk' about what happened without repercussions. Fuck! He almost lost his life because of me! How in the hell am I supposed to raise a kid if I can't even keep my fiancé happy! Shit, Shit, Shit. I need to talk to him.'_

"Well?" Ron snapped at Taylor.

Luke stood up and defended his friend. "None of us knows why Kris did what he did." He then glanced at Taylor because he knew he and Kris had fought, but he didn't know why.

Crystal stumbled out of Kris's room. Dr. Simon helped her back to the waiting room and lowered her to a seat. "Thank you." she voiced hoarsely. "When can we take him home?"

Taylor jerked his head up and looked at Crystal with a frown, then gave Dr. Simon a stern look. "No, he comes with me." Taylor stated, challenging anyone to defy him.

Dr. Simon stated, "I'm afraid he's not going anywhere. He's agreed to stay."

Ron exclaimed, "What? He committed himself? My son is NOT staying in some loony bin! We'll take him home and take care of him!"

Dr. Simon looked around the waiting room at the visitors waiting to see their loved ones and said, "Let's talk in my office. Luke and Noah, please wait here." He looked at Kris's parents and Taylor and said in a solemn way, "This way please."

Once Taylor and Kris's parents were seated, Dr. Simon said soberly, yet with sensitivity, "Kris had a brief psychotic episode."

Ron stood up. His face was red, his blood pressure rising and his temper exploding. "My son is NOT psychotic! All he needs is some rest!"

Crystal looked fearfully at Dr. Simon. "Is this serious? What does it mean?"

Taylor shook his head with disgust at himself for putting Kris in that position of frailty. Guilt was riding him, wearing him down.

Dr. Simon addressed Ron, "If you would please take your seat, I will continue."

Ron groaned gravelly with displeasure and sat next to his wife. Crystal took his hand, and took Taylor's as well.

"A brief psychotic episode means that Kris experienced some sort of stress or trauma. There is no forewarning that he was going to breakdown so no one could have prevented it. What Kris has experienced, would be markedly stressful to almost anyone in a similar circumstance."

_'I could have prevented this! I caused the stress. I traumatized him.'_ Taylor sighed, thinking about his actions and came to the conclusion that he was definitely, without a doubt, the only one to blame for Kris's episode. Crystal heard Taylor's disheartened sigh of grief and stress over Kris.

"He'll get better, right?" Crystal asked Dr. Simon as she held Taylor's hand tightly.

Dr. Simon nodded. "Symptoms usually last for one to thirty days. I've started him on a low dose of Thorazine to help him."

"A drug?" Crystal gasped. "He can't get better with just therapy?

"Yes, some patients do." Dr. Simon explained. "However, I'd like to see his mood improve by the end of the month, so he agreed to start on it right away."

"The what? End of the month?" Taylor spoke up. "No. he'll be better after I talk to him. Let me see him." He pounded his fist on the armrest of his chair.

"Taylor. Take it easy!" Ron leaned forward and looked at his son's fiancé. "Let's hear what we can do for Kris because I too am certainly against him staying here a month. That's bullshit! Crystal can baby him at home and I'll bring him back and forth for therapy appointments. There's no need for him to be here, sleep and eat here, away from his family and friends."

"Actually, it is imperative that he stay here and get treatment. He needs to step away from the problem and clear his head. He specifically asked to be 'put away' to distance himself from his life right now. He needs to heal." Dr. Simon met each one of their pairs of eyes, seeing understanding within them.

"Taylor, I'll take you to him now so you can have a word with him. If your presence upsets him, I'll ask you to leave." Dr. Simon stared at the blue eyed brunette.

"Ok." Taylor stood up on unstable legs. He followed the doctor out of the room and down the hall. _'What am I going to say to him? He has to be hating me right now. Hating me and hating himself. God I fucked up so fucking bad! What was wrong with me?! I lost sight of what was really important and almost lost him in death.'_

Dr. Simon stopped outside a closed door and turned to Taylor. "Kris told me that you and he had an argument. He didn't go into detail, but he did say you cheated on him, which, in his words, destroyed his trust in you and therefore, he dissolved your and his engagement."

Taylor was about to speak, but closed his mouth tightly. He couldn't dispute what Kris told the doctor because it was Kris's interpretation of the situation.

"Go in then, but remember, leave if he becomes distressed." Dr. Simon said warningly.

"Got it." Taylor nodded. He touched the cold, round door handle and turned it, hoping the atmosphere in the room wouldn't be as cold as the handle. He cautiously stepped into the room, seeing Kris in the chair, wearing his baggy jeans and the same tee shirt he'd been wearing before. He was in the same position he was in when his mother came to talk to him, but Taylor didn't know that.

Taylor took his time entering the room, letting Kris get used to his being there. He closed the door, frantically thinking of a way to handle this. Should he run to Kris, take him in his arms, kiss him and apologize? Or should he sit and let Kris talk? Should he try to reason with Kris? Too many options, he thought, resting his forehead on the door. _'I'll play it by ear.'_ However, when he turned back around, he met Kris's eyes and began bawling like a baby. He ran across the room and knelt in front of Kris, hugging the blond's knees.

Overcome with emotion, Taylor continued to weep through his words, "Kris.... baby... Oh Kris. I'm sorry."

Kris couldn't shed a tear. He was still just as astonished as he was when Taylor told him that he was going to leave and get Cassandra pregnant. This moment with Taylor was surreal. This couldn't be Taylor here with him. He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the chair.

Taylor continued crying Kris's name, running his hands up and down Kris's legs. Thanking god that Kris was alright. Taylor didn't know what he'd do without him.

"I love you Kris. I love you so much." Taylor cried softly now, his tears leaking onto Kris's jeans and drying on his cheeks. "Can you forgive me? I was so concerned with what I wanted, I convinced myself that you would want it to. I thought in time you'd just accept it. I never thought **anything** like **this** would happen. I wouldn't have.... gone. I wouldn't have done it if I knew how strongly you felt about it."

"I told you." Kris's voice was soft and feather light.

Taylor raised his head and gazed at Kris's face. His eyes were still closed and his mouth was slightly parted.

"I know baby. I know you told me, but I thought, I honestly thought you were having one of your..... your uh, tantrums again. I'm sorry I didn't take you seriously. I thought you were being unreasonable, but it was me that was being unreasonable and not giving you the chance to voice your opinion. I made a decision for both of us without a thought for how you'd feel and I want to apologize Kris."

Kris expelled a breath, "ahhh."

With desperation as his last hope, Taylor asked, "Kris, please forgive me?"

"I just wanted to please you the whole time we were together." Kris whispered.

"You DO please me Kris. You do!" Taylor smiled, but Kris still hadn't opened his eyes.

"I **tried** to please you."

"You did baby- you do. Please believe me." Taylor exclaimed emotionally. He had to get Kris to see that they needed each other.

Kris spoke gently, "I **can't** please you. I failed. I'm not what you want, what you need."

"**Yes you are**!" Taylor said sternly, rising up and hugging Kris around the neck. He hoped Kris would hug him back, but he was listless and withdrawn. "You are what I need Kris." he said into Kris's ear. "You're **everything** I want."

"No," Kris wet his lips. "you don't.... you... don't want me." He uttered before beginning to shake and tremble all over.

Taylor pulled back to see Kris's face. He looked awful. His face was pale, yet he was sweating. A side effect from the medication? Taylor pressed his body to Kris's again to comfort him. He did everything in his power to calm Kris down. To make him relax, but nothing was working.

"Kris? Can you hear me? Look at me." Taylor cupped Kris's face. Eerily, Kris's empty blue eyes drifted and looked right into Taylor's concerned blue ones. "Come on Kris. Sweet boy. Baby. Talk to me."

Kris worried his forehead and almost barely shook his head.

Taylor closed his eyes and muttered, "Shit." when he opened his eyes again, Kris had closed his. With a sigh, Taylor neared Kris's face and gently kissed him on the lips. He heard a whimper from Kris and did it again- another whimper.

Taylor's heart began racing ferociously. He went in for a third time and heard a moan. _'YES!'_ He grinned and said, "Kris, baby."

Kris opened his blue eyes and saw Taylor. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. His mind felt fuzzy and he felt like he was floating on a cloud.

Taylor took the ring off his finger and grasped Kris's hand. "Kris?" he said fearfully, holding the ring at the tip of Kris's finger. "Will you still marry me? I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I need you in my life."

Kris instinctively pulled his hand away. Part of him wanted to wear the ring, but almost all of him wanted answers first. He was unable to talk right now. He couldn't think a coherent thought. He saw Taylor drop his head and heard a heart wrenching sob. With a tortured scrape of his voice, Taylor said, "I understand. I'm sorry Kris."

Taylor stood up when another sob was let loose from his constricted throat. He put Kris's ring back on his own finger and shuffled his feet out of the room. Outside the door, he leaned against the wall and cried freely for the loss of his destiny, Kris, who was his fate, his soul mate. He was lost.

For the first time today, a lonely tear slowly rolled down Kris's cheek.

While Ron was outside smoking, Crystal had been filling Luke and Noah in about what happened when she had gone into Kris's room. Luke and Noah were both shocked that Kris decided to stay for thirty days, but they were relieved he was getting help. After all, they had been frightened when Kris had trained the knife on himself. They could be at the police station, helping an officer file a suicide report instead of here, at the psychiatric ward.

"Thank you two so much for being there for Kris. Taylor too. I can't imagine what Kris was thinking. My poor baby." Crystal covered her mouth and cried. "You never think as a parent that something like this could happen. Not to my child! Yet here I am with Ron. It's just devastating, just awful." She plucked a kleenex from the box on a table littered with magazines and blew her nose gently.

Luke patted her on the back and reassured her, "He's going to be alright."

"Yes, that's right. He is, isn't he? He'll get better and we'll all get past this." Crystal sounded positive.

Taylor came stumbling into the waiting area and glanced at Luke, Noah, and Crystal. He walked past them without saying a word as he neared the doors to leave.

Noah stood up and said to Luke, "You stay with Crystal. I'll see where he's going."

Luke nodded and watched Noah wrap an arm around Taylor's shoulders. He kept them in view as they walked to Taylor's car, then saw them lean against the trunk. Luke fixed his attention back to Crystal and asked, "Do you think I could talk to Kris?"

Crystal lowered the kleenex and looked at Luke with tears dripping from her eyes. "Oh yes. The more people he sees that care about him the better he will feel, don't you think Noah? Or was it Luke?"

"Luke, and I think you may be right about Kris. We all love him and want him to get better. I'll be back." Luke smiled, patting Crystal's back once more and stood up. He asked the receptionist if she would get Dr. Simon to take him to Kris's room.

Luke opened the door and entered the room. He smiled at Kris as he walked to him, intending to act normally, to sound normal, to treat Kris as normal as possible without making him feel self conscious.

"Hi buddy! You sure gave Noah and I one helluva scare." Luke gulped as he crouched in front of Kris. "How's it going?" He took Kris's hand and held it, caressed it, then laced it with his own.

"Sorry." Kris squeezed his eyes shut. "Tell Noah too."

"Of course I will." Luke smiled lopsidedly. "We all want you to take your time and get better. Dr. Simon assured us you're going to be ok."

"Humm" Kris sounded doubtful.

"Come on Kris. You have your mom, dad, me, Noah and Taylor pulling for you. We all love you. You believe that right?"

"Right Kris?" Luke asked again after waiting several seconds for Kris's answer. He studied Kris's face, grazing his finger down his cheek. "Hey listen, Taylor loves you. I know you know that. Whatever happened is in the past. You two belong together and I believe that with all my heart."

"What's going on Taylor?" Noah asked, watching his roommate kicking pebbles with the toe of his shoe. "I've never seen you so upset before. Why did you break up?"

"I royally fucked up Noah. Big time." Taylor sniffled. "Damn it to hell, I really hurt him. Irrecoverably."

"How? What could you have possibly done? He loves you. Taylor, he worships you and looks up to you. You're everything in his eyes. You can fix this."

"No, I can't." Taylor's lip quivered. He bit his bottom lip to stop the uncontrollable action, but unconsciously bit too hard and drew blood. His tongue emerged, cautiously touching the small puncture wound and raked his fingers through his hair.

"Why can't you?" Noah asked with care, not wanting to annoy or anger Taylor with his prying questions.

Taylor turned his head to the right, away from Noah, and said, "I want a child so bad Noah."

"I know. Kris does too. He's stated as much." Noah smiled. He wished Taylor would look at him, but he didn't want to push his luck. Sometimes in situations like this, people tended to shut down and kept their problems to themselves. He needed to keep Taylor talking. He knew his roommate would feel better getting things off his chest.

"I wanted it more than him." Taylor let out a sarcastic laugh. "I did something really, really foolish. So stupid. So fucking moronic. Unforgivable."

Noah had an inkling what it was and he was mortified, but he needed clarification to confirm this thought. "Wh- What did you do?" he asked, wincing at the thought of Taylor impregnating Cassandra. Kris had a right to be upset, especially if Taylor hadn't taken Kris's feelings into consideration.

"I acted so hastily. I didn't think, I just acted. I went through the motions as if this was my only chance to have a child. I was so desperate, reckless at the time." Taylor pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm such a fool."

Noah waited for Taylor to go on. Several minutes elapsed before Taylor faced Noah with a grim look on his handsome face. "I had sex with Cassandra to get her pregnant. Like I said, the artificial insemination didn't take. She offered to do it this way for me with Amber's permission. She literally offered right before you guys came home and I was so excited for the opportunity to have a child that I wasn't thinking rationally. I wasn't clearheaded. I just reacted and left for her apartment. I told Kris, but he didn't get it. He didn't want to understand how much I wanted this and I just left him in the parking lot at the townhouse. He must have had his 'episode' after that."

"Yea, he did. Luke and I were so fucking scared. I mean, he had that knife poised and ready to end it all because of this." Noah said in such a way that he had no sympathy for Taylor. Of course Taylor picked up on Noah's tone and looked him right in the eye.

"I am really sorry Noah. I didn't know he'd go off the deep end like that." Taylor spoke apologetically. "Thank god you and Luke were there for him."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to. There's a guy suffering in that building you should be sucking up to." Noah said irritably.

"I did." Taylor sulked. He exhaled heavily, feeling worse than ever. He just hoped Kris could forgive him in time. He was willing to beg, plead, pray, and implore Kris to come back to him.

"I take it he wasn't receptive to the idea of making up."

"No. I think he blames himself- for what, I don't know. But Noah, it wasn't cheating! Honestly, it was just in and out. I jacked off in the bathroom until I was almost ready to cum. It's not like I had to work up to it inside her!"

"Are you trying to sell me on your actions? Because I don't know what to think. I mean if Luke..." Noah shook his head. "We'd most definitely have a long talk about it before doing something **that** rash."

"Shit, don't you think I know that- now. It's way too late for talk. What's done is done. Hopefully this wasn't all for naught. I hope Cassandra gets pregnant and something good will come out of it, meaning a baby boy or girl. Right now, I'm just going to go with the flow and hope Kris can make sense of what I did and why."

"Are we talking about the same 'Kris'" Noah asked sardonically. "The 'Kris' that lost his virginity to you, the 'Kris' that is only twenty-one and naïve when it comes to relationships? Come on Taylor! He's too young to understand this need of yours to be a father. What did you expect? For him to be all gung ho about raising a child? Maybe he wanted one because he knew you wanted one and he wanted to please you. For christ's sake, he's a child himself. He needs time to grow up."

"Noah, people have kids all the time, some even younger than him so don't try to feed me that bullshit about him being naïve and shit. This is about me having sex with Cassandra anyway. He thinks it was cheating." Taylor's blue eyes burned into Noah's blue ones. They stared at each other through slitted eyelids.

Noah shrugged. "Ok, I don't want to argue, it's not my fight anyway. See you at the house."

"Yea, I guess so." Taylor fetched his keys from his pocket before he got into his car. "Bye Noah."

Noah waved, then went back inside to get Luke.


	29. Chapter 29

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 29

RATED: R

SUMMARY: Taylor has been visiting Kris, as well as Luke and Noah. This chapter takes place on the day of Kris's homecoming- a month later. Nuke non graphic sex.

WARNING: Out of Character

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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Taylor stopped at the receptionist's desk at the psychiatric clinic. Shelly, whom Taylor had come to know personally, smiled at him warmly. "Good afternoon Taylor. How are you today?"

"I'm ok, thanks." Taylor replied. Truth be told, he really wasn't. The days had gone by so slowly and every waking minute he thought about Kris. He had taken off both his and Kris's engagement rings, and put them away for safe keeping. He'd only done it because a few weeks ago when he was visiting, he observed Kris staring at them with a wounded look in his eyes.

"Kris should be done with therapy. Let me just check with Dr. Simon." Shelly said, grabbing the phone off her desk and pushing three numbers.

Taylor waited, leaning forward with his hands on the counter that separated him and Shelly.

"Mm-hm. Taylor is here now. Ok I'll send him back." Shelly hung up the phone and nodded to Taylor. "Kris will see you."

"Good." Taylor smiled before walking away.

There had been only one time that Kris refused to see Taylor. It was after Kris finally told Dr. Simon exactly what led up to his psychotic episode. He was too distraught to see anyone that day because talking about it, made what Taylor had done real. It hadn't been his imagination, it wasn't a dream or hallucination. It was a reality that he HAD come to grips with help from his Doctor. He didn't like what Taylor did, in fact, he hated it, but he understood Taylor's need to have a child. Kris hadn't decided what he wanted though. He couldn't help the feelings of love that made his heart race when Taylor visited him. He also couldn't help the images pestering him. The ones with Taylor and Cassandra naked, having sex, grunting, groaning, moaning, touching, kissing.... and on and on until Taylor came inside her.

Taylor knocked on Kris's door and waited for the invite to come inside.

Kris opened the door and turned away, going back to the bed where he had been laying and thinking.

Taylor shut the door and seated himself in the only chair in the room. "How are you today?" he asked eyeing Kris, who was situating himself on the bed.

Kris laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "Fine."

"That's good." Taylor nodded and looked down. Kris's one word answers made it difficult to engage him in conversation.

"What did you have for lunch today?"

"Umm... chicken, potatoes and corn." Kris answered. He didn't mind talking, but he had a hard time coming up with something to talk about. He'd rather let Taylor take the reigns, so to speak.

"Sounds good. All I had was a salad." Taylor looked up, running his eyes up and down Kris's body. He realized how much he missed him every day, but today was especially hard. Kris would be coming back to the townhouse soon and he knew he had no rights to kiss him, sleep with him, or even touch him. He anticipated Kris's homecoming to be agonizingly painful because of that.

"Salad is good." Kris stated.

"Yea, I guess." Taylor agreed without emotion in the tone of his voice. He inhaled and let the air out slowly as he fought for a topic to talk about. It was silent in the room for a long time.

"Is..... she?" Kris sighed dejectedly, then firmly pressed his lips together- this was going to be hard to hear.

"Yes. She's due September 12th." Taylor answered quietly so that it didn't seem like it was the most important date in his life, although it was. He was so excited and eager, but he had to play it down for Kris's sake.

"You must be happy. Congratulations." Kris said dully as he stretched his legs straight out.

"Um, thanks." Taylor replied. Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "Are you excited to come home?"

"Where is the baby going to stay? In your room? Or are you planning to convert my bedroom into a nursery. Forget it, I'll move back home with my parents."

"Don't move. I haven't decided yet. The baby isn't going to be here until next fall, or is it still summer in September? Whatever, We'll figure it out when the time comes." he smiled, which was lost on Kris.

"I don't mind moving. I have to concentrate on school anyway. I can't be awakened in the middle of the night by crying and whatever."

"Kris," Taylor felt like he'd been slapped across the face. He walked to Kris's side and said, "I was under the impression that we'd be raising him, or her together. I want you to be a part of the baby's life, and mine."

"I don't know." Kris met Taylor's hopeful, expectant eyes. "Won't you and Cassandra and Amber be raising it?"

"No. Cassandra is signing all parental rights over to me. We agreed that we'd tell the child when it's old enough that she's the mother. In the meantime, she and Amber will be like aunts. They want to be involved, but she's leaving the raising and decision making to me- to us."

"Hm." Kris humphed.

"You know," Taylor began, "When we were engaged, I really wanted to marry you this summer, before the baby came. I thought you'd be his or her 'other' dad. It's sad."

"What's sad?" Kris asked in a snippy way. This was not his fault! It seemed as though Taylor was blaming him for the kid not having two parents to raise it. Kris had no say in it to begin with and he was getting fed up with Taylor trying lay a guilt trip on him.

Taylor shoved his hands in his pockets and answered, "This whole situation happened because of me wanting a baby."

"I wanted a baby too. Just not in the way you went about it." Kris unlaced his fingers and crossed his arms defensively across his chest. He glared at Taylor and continued. "If you had discussed this with me like real engaged couples do, we could have come up with a different solution... maybe. I'm really hurt that you didn't consult me.... I take that back, you TOLD me what you were going to do, but you didn't ask me if I was ok with that."

"I'm sorry." Taylor ducked his head. "It was very shortsighted of me."

"So, you regret it?" Kris asked, staring at Taylor. He knew the question wasn't fair. He knew he baited Taylor. The answer Taylor would give him was obvious to Kris.

"Kris, how can I answer that? I regret hurting you, but I don't regret getting Cassandra pregnant. I wish the artificial insemination would have worked, but it hadn't. This was the only way."

Kris's gaze drifted before he closed his eyes. "Whatever." he mumbled angrily. "Are you dating anyone?"

"Me?! No. No way!" Taylor said in shock. "How can you even think I'd be out dating? I still love you as much as ever."

"Luke and Noah said they've been dragging you to the club to get you out of the house. You could have picked someone up." Kris opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Taylor.

"Not me." Taylor stated truthfully. "I'm stuck on a certain blond with a hot, rocking body that can go all night. Whose kisses drive me wild and cause goosebumps to rise all over my body. Who, with a few seductive words in my ear, can cause me to harden in an instant. Shall I go on?"

Kris shook his head side to side quickly. If Taylor was trying to make him hard, he was succeeding. He slowed his breathing from the excited intakes to slow, calculated ones. It didn't help much.

Taylor chuckled and said, "You don't mind that I talk like that, do you-- **Kris**?"

"Taylor... I don't think you should."

"But you still love me, don't you?" Taylor asked, tilting his head in question. "You have some feelings for me, right?"

"Yes. I can't help but to continue to love you. I mean, you were my first boyfriend. But I never thought you would do this to me. I didn't think you were capable. You're usually so attentive, so caring and concerned about me. You shocked me when you left to go to Cassandra. I didn't know who you were anymore... I guess I still don't."

"I've told you how much I want a baby. My only priority should have been you, but it shifted. I was thinking about myself." Taylor paused to think before he admitted, "Maybe this worked out for the best after all. You have college to deal with and you weren't really ready to be a parent, or be married for that matter. Our marriage would have been strained and we probably would have been divorced within a year."

Kris contemplated that for a while. He didn't want to admit it, but it sounded believable to him only because Taylor was older, more mature, more sensible, had better insight, and knew what was best.

Taylor waited for Kris's reply, but none came. He couldn't tell if Kris agreed or disagreed with him. He cleared his throat, hoping to get Kris's attention. Luckily, Kris did look at Taylor and yawned.

Taylor asked with a pleasantly charming smile, "Do you want me to come pick you up on your release date?"

"Luke is coming to take me to my parent's house for lunch, then we'll go to the townhouse. I know you have to work."

"I'm taking off." Taylor stated, sweeping the dark hair off his forehead.

"No. That's alright." Kris frowned. "Did you do something different to your hair?"

"Yea!" Taylor responded, happy that Kris finally noticed.

"Hm." Kris hummed, but didn't elaborate on his indifferent reaction to Taylor's haircut.

"Do you like it?"

Kris sat up, shrugged one shoulder and answered, "It's your hair. I have no say in what you do with it."

"I only asked if you liked it, Kris." _'What a brat!'_

"It's fine Taylor." Kris said, standing up, the bed separating them from each other. "I have to-" he pointed to the bathroom in his room.

"Oh. Go ahead. I'll just sit here." Taylor smiled and sat on the bed. He fidgeted while he waited, trying to recall a time when he was as nervous and scared as he was right now. Nothing came to mind except the time when he was fifteen, in the woods with his neighbor. He tapped his shoe on the floor and wondered how his life had become so off track. There was a time when he felt confident about everything he'd done in his life. Now it felt like he was unsure about everything.

Taylor heard Kris flush and the sink running. He rose off the bed and waited for his return.

Kris walked to the bed and stood near Taylor. He yawned again, then said, "I think I'm going to take a nap before I go to group."

Taylor was hurt that Kris wanted him to leave already, but he respected his wishes. "Alright, can I have a hug goodbye again?" Kris had let Taylor hug him the last three or four times he'd visited- to Taylor's surprise and gratefulness.

"Sure." Kris held his arms out. Taylor grinned with a satisfied sigh and stepped into Kris's embrace. Taylor held him tightly against his body, remembering all places their bodies met every time they had hugged. Heads, shoulders, chests, abdomens, hips and thighs.

Taylor inhaled Kris deeply. "You smell so good." he whispered in Kris's ear. "I've missed you so much kiddo. I love you." He said all the things he always said to Kris before he left the clinic. Without thinking, he kissed Kris's ear. Kris immediately backed away, ending their hug.

"I'm sorry!" Taylor blurted out apologetically.

Kris brought his hand up and covered his ear, hanging his head as well. He said, looking at the floor, "Uh, I guess I'll see you later in the week." _'Ohhhh.... how can I resist him when he does that? I'm like his puppet.'_

"Yes. Later." Taylor eyed Kris. "Sorry for kissing you on the ear. I hope you don't hold it against me."

"Don't worry about it." Kris replied, acknowledging Taylor's apology. He became aware his hand was still on his ear, covering the heated breath of Taylor's kiss, as if to cherish and keep it there. He blushed as he lowered his hand to his side.

"Well.... bye Kris." Taylor spoke softly and slowly, prolonging their goodbye, "If you change your mind about Luke picking you up and you want me to come instead, just call me. You know I'd be honored and happy to take you to your parents house and bring you home afterwards."

"I know." Kris looked into the depths of Taylor's eyes. Taylor's kind eyes seemed devoid of hope and filled with sadness. Kris added, "I'll think about it."

Taylor nodded. He hoped Kris would really think about it and that he wasn't just saying it to pacify him. He walked to the door, turned and gave Kris a slight smile, then left.

Later in the week.....

"I'm nervous and scared Luke." Kris said, moving restlessly in the front seat of Luke's car. They had just come from Kris's parents house. Kris was extremely embarrassed that Luke had witnessed the showering of kisses, hugs and declarations of love from his mother. Kris's father hugged him and had done a complete turn about. He told his son that he was proud of him for acknowledging that he needed help and willingly went through a month of inpatient therapy. When he and Crystal visited him at the facility, they saw progress. Kris was emerging from his shell slowly but surely each time they met with him and talked to Dr. Simon.

Luke didn't dispute his roommate. To comfort Kris, he said, "I know. It'll be a little awkward at first, but things will fall into place soon enough and everything will be back to normal." He truly believed that what he was saying to his roommate was the truth. "Trust me."

"I guess I trust you, but I'm freaking out about seeing Taylor each and every day. Talking to him, eating at the same table with him, hanging out at the house with him. I don't know what to expect."

"Don't worry about it until you get home. No one can anticipate what's going to happen. Let's just see." Luke answered, glancing at Kris. "Guess what?"

"Hm?" Kris responded, disinterested because he was still fixed on the thoughts of seeing Taylor for longer than an hour or so.

"We kept the Christmas tree up for you." Luke stated with a huge grin. "Noah and I exchanged presents, but the ones we bought for you are under the tree, so are the ones from Taylor."

Kris didn't say a word. He didn't want to open gifts and be the center of attention. He'd rather head to his room and rest. Tossing and turning last night, fidgeting, and being tense about coming home caused him to be exhausted.

"Noah and Taylor are home. They're really excited to see you." Luke said animatedly.

Kris rubbed his nose, scratched his head and twiddled his thumbs nervously. He groaned low when Luke passed Hank at the gate because they were almost home. He let out a shaky breath when Luke parked and he held his breath when Luke opened the front door of the townhouse.

Kris cautiously looked inside before stepping past the threshold. He saw Taylor sitting on the couch, then stand up with an apprehensive look on his face.

Noah came from the kitchen and grinned. "Kris!" he said happily before hugging him. "It's so good to see you home again. How are your parents?"

"Fine." Kris tried to smile. "Lunch filled me up, that's for sure."

Luke chuckled, "Crystal kept filling his plate, telling him to eat. It's a wonder he's lean and fit." He smiled and took the suitcase out of Kris's hand to take it to the blue bedroom for him.

Noah whispered to Kris, "Do you want to be alone with Taylor to talk?"

Kris shook his head. "No, not right now." he answered, seeing Taylor approach, eager yet uncertain. His step faltered as he got closer to Kris. He spoke haltingly, "Welcome back Kris." Taylor didn't seem to know what to do. He raised his hands a little, then waited for a moment before he raised them all the way to hug Kris.

Kris was stiff, but he hugged back. He mumbled, "Thanks. I suppose it's good to be back."

Taylor held onto him longer than Kris thought was necessary. He lowered his arms and tried to back away, but Taylor held him tighter. Kris could hear him sniffling in his ear before whispering, "Kris, I'm sorry. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. I'm honestly sorry for the way I treated you, the way I disregarded your feelings. I love you so much and I hope we can talk about this whole fucked up situation soon. I want to get everything out in the open and figured out so we can move on, get past this. Do you think that's possible? Please say yes."

"I've dealt with it in therapy. I can't claim to understand, but I know now why you did it. I don't like it and I'm positive I'll never come to grips with it because it devastated me." Kris responded with his eyes squinted shut to keep his emotions in check. He promised himself that today he wouldn't cry, wouldn't let Taylor get to him, wouldn't fall for Taylor's words of endearment and his ability to charm the pants off him. He needed to stay strong and stand his ground, but it was getting increasingly difficult with Taylor's hot breath on his ear and neck, his strong arms wrapped around him like a security blanket, and Taylor's body heat warming places on Kris that he didn't want warmed. "Ok, I need to... go to the bathroom." Kris lied, finally able to draw away from his dark-haired, sexy as hell, tantalizing, blue-eyed roommate. He licked his lips after his nose filled with the scent of Taylor's signature cologne and quickly headed to the bathroom. He had to hide out for a while to calm his body's reaction to Taylor. _'I'm always going to be hopelessly in love with him, yet, I can't just let what he did go. I can't take him back, then it would seem like what he did was alright. It wasn't. He's in the wrong.'_

Kris stared in the mirror, trying to convince himself that he was right. Dr. Simon had told him it was ok to be angry at Taylor for what he'd done, but that eventually he'd have to deal with it because acceptance and forgiveness was easier to live with than holding grudges, not to mention all the tension it would cause everyone in the house. He didn't want to put that on anyone.

After a while, Taylor knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you finished? We're all waiting in the living room for you to open your Christmas gifts."

"In a minute!" Kris raised his voice, annoyed that he hadn't had a moment alone since he'd left the hospital.

"Ok." Taylor replied, hearing how irritated Kris was. He moped as he walked back to the living room and sat on the couch next to Noah. "He's coming."

Noah patted Taylor's knee as he spoke, "Give him some time. He'll come around."

"Yea." Luke chimed in. "Love like his and yours doesn't just die. There has to be something you can do to prove that to him. Something you can say?"

Taylor shook his head and shrugged, "I believe I've tried everything short of bowing down to him."

"Kiss his shoes when you do it. That may help." Luke snickered with Noah.

Taylor gave Luke the finger in jest, then turned around when he heard the bathroom door open. "He's coming!" Taylor whispered excitedly. Luke quickly got up and sat in the recliner so Kris would sit next to Taylor on the couch. Luke and Noah had a long talk about what Taylor did and came to the conclusion that although it was a rotten thing to do to Kris, that it wasn't really any of their business to take sides or even argue with Taylor about it.

Kris walked into the room and looked around. "Can I sit in that chair Luke?" he asked much to Taylor's chagrin.

"Oh, sure." Luke replied, eying Taylor. He could tell his roommate was disappointed, crushed even. Luke got up and went to the Christmas tree and picked up a small square box wrapped in white paper with a blue snowflake pattern on it.

"This is from me." Luke said with a shy smile as he handed the gift to Kris.

Kris looked nervously around. All eyes were on him so he quickly lowered his blue ones. In slow motion, he took off the paper, discarded it on the floor and opened the box. Inside, he saw a nice watch. He took it out of the box before he looked up and thanked Luke.

"I have another gift for you." Luke said, carrying the rectangular box to Kris, setting it in his lap.

As before, Kris took his time opening the gift and smiled. He took out a nice, button down, short sleeved, dark red shirt. "It's really nice Luke, thank you very much."

"You're welcome." Luke smiled back and took a seat on the couch. Noah stood up after giving Luke a kiss on the lips. He took the gift he bought for Kris and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas Kris." He said as he knelt on the floor near Kris.

Kris ended up getting a pair of dress pants to go with the shirt Luke bought for him and the DVD movie he'd bragged about last summer.

"Thank you Noah. I can't wait to see it again. Maybe we can have movie night with a pizza and beer like we used to?"

"Sounds good to me." Luke approved.

"Me too." Noah agreed.

"I think so as well." Taylor stated, gazing at Kris with a pleased look.

Kris looked quickly looked away, meeting Noah's blue eyes. "Maybe not right away."

"Whatever you're comfortable with Kris." Noah stood up and sat next to Luke. He grabbed his hand, brought it up and kissed it, but really wanting to suck his finger. When he lowered their hands, he set them on Luke's thigh and tickled him through the denim jeans he was wearing, with his pinky finger.

Taylor rose from the couch and glanced at Kris, who was putting on the watch Luke gave to him. He went to the Christmas tree and picked up one of many presents he'd bought for Kris, back when they were engaged. He knew one of them was going to be inappropriate to give him now. If only he remembered which one it was. All but one of the gifts were relatively the same size. He felt safe giving Kris the largest one.

Taylor stood before Kris, holding out a present that looked professionally wrapped, but Kris knew Taylor had to have wrapped it. He'd seen the paper in Taylor's closet before he went to the clinic.

Kris looked up, then down at the gift. He took it regardless of his mind telling him not to. He didn't want anything from Taylor.

"Open it." Luke said cheerfully. "I want to see what it is."

Taylor turned to address Luke, "It's not much."

Noah broke in, "I'm sure you took time and much consideration to pick out his gifts. After all, you were engaged at the time."

Luke quickly looked at Kris to see how he'd react to what Noah said. Kris was staring at the gift timidly, feeling the pressure to open it. He tore the paper, opening the gift as fast as he could, just wanting to get this over with. A tight pair of jeans was inside a white box. He should have known Taylor would pick tight ones over loose fitting jeans. He also ripped open several other gifts.

Taylor saw the last gift under the tree and sighed with relief, knowing that was the one that he didn't want to give Kris.

Kris mumbled, "Thanks Taylor. You didn't have to. You could have returned everything."

"Kris, I wanted to give you these things." Taylor said with a wounded voice.

"Hey, you forgot one!" Luke yelled. He reached under the tree, grabbed it and threw the gift to Kris, who caught it.

"No!" Taylor yelled as he watched Kris tear into it.

Kris's mouth hung open. He looked up at Taylor and frowned.

"I-- I'm sorry. That wasn't meant, I mean, it was meant for you." Taylor was flustered and continued to speak nervously, "It was meant for you before we..." Taylor looked down embarrassedly. "before we broke up."

Luke grimaced and said, "I'm sorry Taylor. Come on Noah. Let's go to the loft and talk."

When Luke and Noah were out of earshot, Taylor took the gift out of Kris's hand and said, "Like I said, I'm sorry you had to see this."

Kris took the box containing the anal dildo out of Taylor's hands. He furrowed his brows and declared snappishly, "Whatever, I'll take it. You did buy it for me, right?"

"Yes I did, but-"

"Ok then. At least this dick will stay faithful to me." he glared at Taylor and stood up, dropping it on the recliner before dashing to his room and slamming the door behind him. As always, he threw himself on the bed and wallowed in self pity. When he was fed up and angry at himself, he sat up and thought about all the things Dr. Simon and he talked about. It relaxed him, calmed his mood down to one that was acceptable and easier to tolerate- for himself and his roommates.

"Do you think they'll make up?" Luke asked, removing Noah's tasty dick from his mouth, but keeping his two fingers busy in his boyfriends ass. Noah was standing with his legs spread apart and Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Noah pointed down urgently. "Keep going, almost there." he groaned achingly.

Luke wrapped his fingers around his taut erection. Noah clenched his jaw and drew in a fast breath. Luke readily opened his mouth, descended on his cock slowly, tonguing it first before he fed Noah's hardness to his mouth.

"I don't know if they will." Noah said with a grunt and moaned, achingly, "Ummmm, Ahhhhh, Yeaaahhhh-" Noah raked his fingers through Luke's soft blond hair, pulling his head closer to the base of his cock. His voice lowered as he spoke, "You know, I love to comb my fingers through your hair when I'm about to cum."

"MmmmHmm-" Luke hummed on Noah's twitching cock. Noah shuddered breathlessly with the vibrations from Luke's throat coursing through his blood.

"Faster." Noah gasped with a roughened voice. "Luke, now Luke." Suddenly, Noah's heat exploded into Luke's mouth and throat, coating the inside with delectable bursts of flavor.

"OHGOD! ! !" Noah moved his hips, jerking back and forth. Starbursts intensified behind his eyelids. The pressure and force of his orgasm subjected his body to intense shockwaves.

Luke kept sucking as he swallowed, his fingers thrusting swiftly and expertly inside Noah's hole.

When Luke couldn't extract anymore fluid, he pulled himself up and said provocatively, "I can't wait to get you on your back and settle between your thighs."

Seeing Luke's molten eyes, Noah took an indrawn breath and became charged with renewed energy. "Make me yours." he spoke low and seductively.

~~**~~

Kris inched his door open, listening intently. Soundlessly, he walked out of his room. Taylor's bedroom door was open, but the tall, dark haired, fair skinned man was missing. He walked down the hallway, passing the other empty rooms, and noticed that the living room was empty as well, or so he thought. He entered the room, intending to watch tv, but when he reached the couch, he saw Taylor laying on it with his hands placed on his stomach, laced together.

Taylor looked at Kris, waiting for him to speak. Apparently, Kris was too dumbstruck to say a word, so he said a soft "Hi." when he sat up. "Do you want to watch tv?"

"Ahh, no. That's alright. I'll go back to my bedroom." Kris began to leave when Taylor stopped him.

"No, you stay. I'll leave." Taylor expressed himself with a sigh. He stood up, but Kris said, "No. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Well you came out here for a reason. Sit down and relax. I don't mind leaving."

"I said I don't want to!" Kris asserted with a shout, placing his hands on his hips for emphasis.

"Don't yell at me." Taylor said in a calm, reasonable tone.

"I'm not! You're listening loud!" Kris yelled.

"So we're going to start off like this? Fighting over the most absurd things? This would be laughable if it weren't so serious." Taylor spoke in a hushed tone.

"Fine, you want to have this out now? Let's do it. Right now!" Kris exclaimed his displeasure.

"Alright. Lets." Taylor agreed and sat back down on the couch. Kris sat in the recliner.

"Go ahead. Say what you want to say to me. Attack me, yell at me, or hit me. I don't care because I deserve it. Let's just get this over with." Taylor witnessed a hint of a mischievous smile on Kris's lips, but just as soon as he saw it, it was gone, replaced with a frown. Kris took a minute, then began speaking his mind.

With a defensive huff, Kris finished speaking. He was surprised that Taylor had stayed in the room and listened to his tirade without interrupting to contradict him. "So, do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Taylor nodded his answer. He already knew Kris's take on the events that happened, but he hoped that by letting Kris talk about it, he'd eventually get over it, or at least forgive him.

"Yes. I understand. I don't know what else to say besides I'm sorry I treated you the way I did. I should have been more thoughtful of you."

"You don't have to say anything." Kris mumbled, looking away from Taylor's dazzling, beautiful eyes and the apologetic look on his face. He felt the wall of ice around his heart melt- just a little bit.

"Ok. I won't."

"I meant you don't have to say anything to me. You can talk. I can't make you mute." Kris explained.

Taylor's throaty laugh made Kris blush. "I know what you meant sweet, er, Kris."

Kris's heart fluttered, hearing Taylor laugh and his blunder when he almost called him by his pet name. He wanted so much to take Taylor back. _'So what's holding me back? Why can't I take him back now? I just expressed myself and he listened attentively. He was really interested in what I had to say. He looked so concerned, so remorseful about what he'd done to me. Damn it to hell, I still love the big lug.'_

Taylor cocked his head and asked, "Are you alright? You look very deep in thought. What are you thinking?"

"If you saw that I was deep in thought, why did you interrupt my train of thought?" Kris smiled, but looked down when he saw what his smile did to Taylor. Taylor's eyes had lit up and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. Kris felt drawn to Taylor, but he was still wary of him- of getting hurt by him.

Taylor chuckled before he elaborated, "I guess I wanted to know if you were thinking about me... about us?"

"Yes, I was." Kris admitted. "I was thinking about you and me and what I should do." Kris said, a heavy tone in his voice.

Taylor nodded understandingly before saying, "That's totally up to you, but you know where I stand- by your side whether you want me back or not. I'll restrain myself and be content being your friend if that's all you want of me."

Kris stayed close-lipped as minutes passed.

Taylor eyed Kris up and down, stared at his face, his body, his posture.... getting excited by looking, but knowing he couldn't touch. When Kris looked up, Taylor pulled Kris's gaze into his, smiling at him with warm, glowing, blue eyes.

Kris stared, couldn't take his eyes off him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move when Taylor neared him. He couldn't talk when Taylor asked if he could give him a little peck on the cheek. He couldn't stop the squeak that made itself known when he gasped at the feel of Taylor's hot, soft, shapely lips kissing him on the corner of his mouth.

Taylor knew better than to try to seduce Kris. He knew full well that he could, but that would only cause Kris to wake in the morning feeling regret and possibly hating himself for falling under Taylor's spell.

"Thank you Kris." Taylor whispered, his face drawing back, but then it was being pulled forward again by hands on the back of his head- Kris's hands. Taylor's mouth crashed into Kris's, cracking their teeth together, then a whisper of an apology followed by wet tongue on wet tongue.

Taylor wanted to get lost in the kiss, wanted to give Kris the most mindblowing, numbing, loving kiss he had built up for him. Instead, he put his hands on Kris's chest and broke the kiss. "Are you sure you want to be doing this?"

"Yea...." Kris answered weakly.

"Really? You won't hate me later or yourself for that matter?" Taylor asked with a strong suspicion that Kris would be remorseful.

"I'm fine. Don't ask me again. Just-- Just kiss me." Kris said with an urgent desire that his libido had ignited.

"Kris...." Taylor groaned, looking into Kris's eyes, seeing the longing in them. He licked his lips, wanting to tell Kris he should take more time to think, but he also was selfish because he wanted Kris. Kissing was a good start and would eventually lead to the bedroom; not tonight, but sometime soon, he hoped.

"Shhhhh-" Kris put a finger over Taylor's moist lips. "No more talking. I don't want to think, I just need to feel. Make me **feel** Taylor. Just- Make- Me- Feel."

"OhhhGod." Taylor moaned before he lowered his head and covered Kris's mouth with a delicious kiss. Sparks exploded along every nerve when Taylor deepened the kiss and closed the gap between their bodies, coming in full contact with Kris's body. Their kiss was demanding, yet yielding as they surrendered to the drive and emotions inside themselves.

Noah was propped up on his elbow, laying next to Luke on their bed. "I hope something happens with those two. It's going to be like walking on eggshells around here if nothing does."

Luke propped himself up as well, tweaking Noah's nipple as he asked, "What do you want to happen?"

"Either for them to make up, or continue to be friends." he said, brushing his hand up and down Luke's arm softly enough to raise goosebumps.

Luke giggled at the ticklish touch, then mentioned something that Noah had neglected to think of, "There's the possibility that they'll be enemies."

Noah frowned. "I realize that, but I didn't want to say it." he tapped Luke's nose, making the blond blink and jerk his head back.

"Stop tapping my nose or I'm gonna tap that ass again." he teased.

After a minute, Luke asked, "Well, don't you have anything to say?"

"You don't hear me arguing, do you?" Noah smiled devilishly. "Go ahead, do your worst- or I should say, do your best." he chuckled.

"Not now. I'm curious what's going on downstairs. Do you think we should go down together and suggest going out for supper?" Luke raised his eyebrows, expecting Noah's answer to be in accordance with his.

"No, Kris just came home today. I'll bet he needs to rest and get situated. He's probably a little gun shy and won't want to be around Taylor long enough for us to drive somewhere, order, eat, pay, and drive home again. Let's let him dictate what he wants. It'll make it easier on all of us if we're not pressuring him."

"I guess." Luke sulked. He wanted things to go back to how they were as soon as possible. He didn't like change that much. "What if Kris doesn't take Taylor back? Should we ask Kris out and help him find a date so he forgets about his first love?"

Noah looked at Luke crazily. "What? Are you fucking serious?" he laughed. "Luke, babe, don't mess in their shit. You did that once when you let Kris move in. Enough is enough."

"But," Luke tried to tap Noah's nose, but Noah was too fast and grabbed Luke's finger. He began to suck on it, then made a face. He teased, "Ew, ass flavored finger."

Luke giggled hysterically and rolled over, onto Noah. He looked down, into blue eyes and asked, "Ready for another ass pounding?"

"An encore?" Noah grinned naughtily. "Anytime you're ready with that battering ram between your legs, I am."

"Mmm." Luke hummed as he smiled. "Let me knock on your back door before I go full force with it."

"Better knock **hard**; I don't know if anyone is home." Noah flirted. He watched Luke sit up before spreading his legs and raising them to wrap around Luke's ribcage.

"I'm gonna fuck the fuck out of you Noah." Luke didn't hold back, he pushed into Noah without warning. Noah bent his head back as far as he could with his chest rising, arcing upward.

"Uhhmm..." Kris uttered when he drew his body away from Taylor. He backed up, hit the back of his legs on the couch and plopped down. He traced his lips, still feeling the wetness from Taylor's tongue, the tingling, the fire burning out of control in his jeans. "G-God." _'He's getting to me. He's in me, in my head, in my blood, a part of me. Forever a part of me! I want him back! God fucking help me, I do, but it still hurts. It aches. It's eating me alive. I've had a month to deal with this. I should be over it, right? How the fuck long is this going to take? No, this can't be right. Just a while ago I thought I could never forgive him, now I'm willing to let the past go? Dr. Simon was right. It takes courage to forgive someone completely. Do I have that?'_

Kris hung his head.

"Kris? We can forget this kiss ever happened if you want to, if it's bothering you." Taylor bent at the waist to see Kris's face, but the blond had hidden it with his hands. "Are you... you're crying!" Taylor hurried and sat next to Kris. He tried to put an arm around Kris's shoulders, but the younger man fought him off.

"I want to be alone." Kris made a gasping sound after each word. "Please."

"Al- Alright." Taylor said while looking at Kris worriedly. He stood up and looked to the loft when he heard Noah's impassioned groans, curses and yelling at Luke to 'Quit fucking around and go faster'.

He went to his bedroom, leaving the door open, and turned on his tv. He laid on his bed, thinking about Kris, as usual, wondering why he was crying. He was pretty sure he knew. He figured that Kris got caught up in their kiss and now he wished he hadn't begged Taylor to kiss him. Taylor had an inkling this would happen and cursed himself for allowing it to happen.

_'It's not just my fault. Kris asked for it. Wait, he's not mentally stable. Shit, it is my fault. I'm a terrible influence on him. All I've done is screw up his life. First I take his virginity and treat him like shit, then finally we're in a relationship and we rush through it, saying I love you's right away, getting engaged and then the big fuck up- not discussing my decision to get Cassandra pregnant.'_

Taylor grimaced, then mumbled, "I don't care, I have to win him back. I won't stop until he tells me he doesn't love me anymore or he begins to date other guys to discourage me. Ugh, that would just kill me."

Kris sat on the couch, his head resting on the back of it as he dried his tears on the hem of his shirt.

_'If I go in his room and take him back, then what? Do things go back to normal? Do I set limits or something? What do I say?! I wish those two fucking upstairs like bunnies would get done already so I can ask them what to say to Taylor._

Taylor reached deeply into his front pocket and answered his cell phone.

"Hi Cassandra." he smiled, hearing her voice.

"How is Kris? He's home now, right?" Cassandra asked from her desk at work.

"Yes. He's... well, he's hurting, but it's to be expected and I totally understand."

She offered, "Hm, do you think it would help if I talked to him?"

"Maybe, but some other time. It's too early for him." Taylor said, putting one hand behind his head and resting on it.

"Ok. I called to tell you I have a doctor's appointment next month. Do you want to come with me and Amber?"

"Of course!" Taylor said happily. "What is the doctor going to do?"

"You might be able to see the heart beating on the ultrasound, but you won't be able to hear it clearly by the receiver on the Doppler until about twelve weeks."

"I'm going to see the baby and its heart beat?" Taylor sat up excited. "Already?"

"He or she will look like a little blob or a kidney bean. It won't have arms or legs yet. Basically it's just a parasite!" she teased. "It's feeding off me Taylor!" she laughed.

"A bean? What a great image to put into my mind. Whenever I eat chili I'll be thinking about my baby looking just like a kidney bean. Great." Taylor chuckled. "When is the appointment?"

Cassandra told him and Taylor committed it to memory, then said goodbye.

"A bean? A little bean? Ha, that's a great nickname for him.... or her." Taylor stuffed his phone back into his pocket and got settled on the bed again. He turned his body towards the tv, away from the open door. He began to watch a show, but twenty minutes into it, he closed his eyes. He was so tired from worrying about Kris's homecoming that he hadn't slept that well last night. Soon he was sleeping soundly.

Kris rose off the couch and rubbed his tired eyes. He walked past the dining room and kitchen, then the bathroom. He stopped in the hall, looking into his room, then to Taylor's room. Kris saw Taylor from behind, on the bed, still as could be. He started to go into his own room, but his legs carried him to Taylor's bed. He sat down and waited. He didn't hear any negative voices in his head, so he brought his legs up and laid down next to Taylor, getting comfortably situated without touching Taylor's body, and closed his eyes.


	30. Chapter 30

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 30

RATED: PG?

SUMMARY: Kris and Taylor try to talk. This chapter is a direct continuation from the previous one. To summarize, this is the same day Kris got home from the clinic.

WARNING: Out of Character

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

I edited this myself. Sorry for any mistakes.

[|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|][|]

From the last chapter------  
_Kris rose off the couch and rubbed his tired eyes. He walked past the dining room and kitchen, then the bathroom. He stopped in the hall, looking into his empty room, then to Taylor's room. Kris saw Taylor from behind, on the bed, still as could be. He started to go into his own room, but his legs carried him to Taylor's bed. He sat down and waited. He didn't hear any negative voices in his head, so he brought his legs up and laid down next to Taylor, getting comfortably situated without touching his body, and closed his eyes._

Taylor turned over several hours later and stretched in his sleep. His hand connected with something warm and soft, yet hard. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he looked and saw Kris with a hand covering his eye.

"OW!" Kris struggled to sit up. "What did you go and do that for?"

Taylor covered his mouth, but not to hold in a gasp, it was to hold in a laugh. "I'm so sorry!" he said, his voice muffled by his hand. "I didn't know you were here. I'm used to sleeping alone."

Kris thought it was sad that Taylor had become 'used' to sleeping by himself. He had a hard time at the clinic sleeping alone and that was one reason he'd come into Taylor's room to take a short nap- to hear someone breathing next to him and the small whimpers and little noises Taylor made as he slept. Listening closely to the sounds filled Kris with a sense of being safe and protected, in addition, they provided him physical comfort.

"Let me clarify my statement." Taylor said, pulling Kris's hand away from his eye to take a look at it. "Looks ok." he stated about the eye, then added, "I'm not really 'used' to sleeping alone. I missed feeling your body next to me. I would reach for you when I was half asleep and you weren't there. It was painful each time so I made myself consciously aware that you weren't here. When I began to reach for you, I would make myself wake up, and say aloud, 'Kris isn't here.' Does that make sense?"

Kris nodded. "I did the same thing, except I didn't say 'Kris isn't here.' I replaced my name with yours." he giggled very reservedly.

"Same ol' Kris. I'm glad you're back home." Taylor laughed with the unmistakable urge to gently lower Kris to the bed and make love to him.

"I am the same person." Kris nodded, looking shyly into the bluest eyes he'd ever seen or ever would.

"I'm glad." Taylor smiled, wishing he could run his fingers through Kris's hair, or over his hairless chest. Then he decided he'd rather run his tongue over Kris's chest. He kept his mouth closed, but a soft grunt was still heard by Kris.

"Maybe I better go to my room. I'm sorry I disturbed you." Kris said, an apologetic look washed over his face, then guilt accompanied it for putting Taylor in this position.

Taylor shot out his hand and grabbed Kris's arm before he could get up. "No. don't be sorry. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to come into our... my room to rest with me." He smiled at Kris, a burst of love for him made his heart thump thunderously in his chest.

"Well, I actually had an ulterior motive. I came in here to talk to you, but I saw you were asleep. I was really tired too, so I thought I'd just rest my eyes for a bit, but I fell asleep."

"That's ok. What did you want to talk about?" Taylor asked inquisitively and let go of Kris's arm.

Kris criss crossed his legs. Wiggling his toes, he began, "I think I came to a conclusion."

Taylor raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yea."

"Am I involved somehow in this conclusion?" Taylor waited with bated breath for Kris to answer.

"Yes." Kris answered softly while gazing at Taylor's face, however, when Taylor began to speak, Kris lowered his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me or can't you?" Taylor expelled an anxious, fearful breath. This was taking too long. The suspense was making him jumpy.

"I'll tell you, but---" Kris pursed his lips in thought. _'Am I doing the right thing? Is it too soon after I was released to make a 'sane' decision? Ohhh man... I don't know. My heart is telling me one thing, while my head is telling me something else. Why can't the organs in my body get along? This is crazy. Ok, just go with your heart, right? Isn't that what everyone says? But, is everyone right? Have they been in the position I've been in? NO they haven't! Shit!'_

"Kris?" Taylor said again for the third time now, unbeknownst to Kris. "Hey."

Kris looked up and shook his head. "Oh, sorry. I spaced out there for a minute."

Taylor laughed and said, "So, you have something to tell me?"

Kris felt confident now. "Yea, I want to ask you--"

"There you are!" Luke peeked into Taylor's bedroom. "Noah and I want to order a pizza and we have that movie from Netflix we got in the mail yesterday."

"No thanks. We were talking." Taylor huffed, frustrated by the interruption.

"Actually," Kris looked at Taylor, then at Luke. His unpleasant disposition had done a one-eighty from the time he arrived home to the present. "That sounds like fun. I'm in." He hoisted himself off the bed and told Taylor, "Come on old man, let's hurry and get the good seats."

Taylor snickered, watching Kris pass Luke as he left the room.

"Sorry. I had no idea you were having a heart to heart. What happened?" Luke asked, hoping everything had been resolved between his two friends.

"He was about to tell me what was going on, but we were interrupted by an annoying, blond, porn writer who has really bad timing."

Luke playfully punched Taylor's bicep as they walked into the hall. Noah had already called the pizza place so the four decided to wait to wait to start the movie until the delivery man or woman arrived.

Kris had taken a seat on one end of the couch, next to Noah. He reflected on his conversation with Taylor and decided to take things slow. He hated the fact that he was wavering back and forth- wanting Taylor back in his life, then wanting to be single for a while to contemplate what he thought he should do.

Taylor and Luke entered the living room. Taylor was dismayed when he saw Kris sitting next to Noah. He took the recliner, gazing at his ex-boyfriend/fiancé with a strong desire to kiss him again, but he saw Kris unexpectedly rise from the couch.

"I'll be back in a few, I have to make a call." Kris said to everyone in the room.

"Hurry back." Noah said, craning his head back to see Kris exit the room.

"Sure." Kris mumbled, walking with long strides to his room.

Noah rested his arm along the back of Luke's shoulders. "So," Luke began to speak to Taylor, "You and Kris. He must be thinking of getting back together with you. I mean you WERE on the bed together."

"Yea, **talking**." Taylor responded with a small smile. In his heart, Taylor also believed that Kris was opening up to him and was becoming receptive to the idea of becoming a couple again.

"Talking is a great start." Noah said enthusiastically. "I hope everything goes your way, his too."

"Me too." Taylor sighed with the thought of he and Kris making up, making a commitment and making love. He knew not to rush things, though, it would be hard to keep his distance when it came to touching Kris, but he felt Kris should be the one to initiate things from now on, that is, until Kris fully trusted him again.

~~**~~

"Hi momma. How are you?" Kris asked with an unstable sounding voice coming from his mouth.

"How am it? You mean since this afternoon? Stop the surface talk Krissy and tell me what's wrong."

"Why do you think something is wrong?" Kris countered, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Your emotions are affecting the sound of your voice." Crystal said with one hand on her hip. "Come on, tell me. You called for a reason."

Kris let out a groan and muttered, "I don't know what to do about Taylor. You know I broke our engagement and I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do. Do I take him back or not?"

Crystal paused before she spoke. "I don't know what this argument was about honey, but whatever it was, don't you think you can forgive him?"

"I want to," Kris said softly. "but it's hard. I look at him and everything he's done fades away and I want him back, but then I start to think about the pain he caused me and I want to hate him."

"I understand. It may take some time for you to forgive him, but tell me this, do you still love him?" Crystal asked. She gathered from their conversation so far, that her son did love Taylor, but she knew Kris needed to say it aloud.

"I do, but-"

His mom interrupted, "That's all that matters then. Love conquers all. If you love him, you can forgive him."

"It's not that easy momma." Kris sounded like he was whining. "He- He did something that... oh, forget it."

"What is it baby? You know you can tell me anything." Crystal said with sympathy for Kris. She knew he was still troubled, even after being in the clinic for a month.

"Shit, ok." Kris conceded, "Oops, sorry for cussing."

"It's not like I haven't heard it before. Now, let it out. I'm listening." Crystal smiled as she waited for Kris to confide in her.

Kris pressed his lips together, worried how his mom would take the news, then decided to break it to her anyway. "Taylor really wants a baby. He and Cassandra, a friend of his since high school, tried artificial insemination, which didn't work. She didn't get pregnant. He thought about in vitro fertilization, but that costs over 10,000 dollars. So instead, Cassandra offered to.... God... momma!" Kris covered his mouth to keep quiet and closed his eyes.

Crystal nodded. "I think I know where this is going."

"You do?"

"He tried to get her pregnant the 'old fashioned' way I take it?"

"Yea, without any say from me. I mean, after he told me his intention, I was hurt and mad and I just wanted to hurt him so I said, 'Go ahead and cheat on me.' then he left to go to her."

"Honey," Crystal said, understanding where Kris was coming from and knowing where Taylor was as well. There had been a miscommunication, not enough time for Kris to warm up to the idea of Taylor impregnating Cassandra. "I don't think Taylor... 'enjoyed' himself. In fact, I bet he's feeling very down for disappointing you. Maybe he thought you'd be happy and what he'd done would be erased because you and he would have a baby to raise. Don't you want children?"

"Not this way!" Kris yelled. "I can't stop thinking of him with her."

"I highly doubt that it was an intimate moment."

"I guess, she has a girlfriend, who was alright with Taylor sticking it to her."

Crystal tsked before she laughed at Kris's wording. She sighed in relief. "So this Cassandra is gay and has a girlfriend? Kris! You HAVE to believe that neither Taylor or Cassandra had to have 'enjoyed' the act like lovers would. For God's sake, how could they have? Neither one is turned on by the other. I believe Taylor did what he had to do, then got his ass out of there! How can you be jealous of that?"

Crystal shook her head at herself after she scolded her only child because he was telling her how he felt and she just told him how he should feel, dismissing his feelings. "I'm sorry Kris, I shouldn't have been so harsh and short with you. I had no right to say those things."

"It's ok. You have a point, but the whole situation feels fucked up beyond repair." Kris's eyes widened when he blurted out the 'F' bomb. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing for swearing, you're an adult." Crystal laughed before she said with delicacy, "Talk to Taylor. Get the whole story and find out what really happened instead of speculating. You may find out that your imagination ran wild with thoughts about the situation, when in reality, it may not be as bad as you think."

"I don't want to know. I don't want him to tell me how he did it. How in the world could he get hard looking at a woman? It's just wrong." Kris stated with distaste.

Crystal was glad that Kris could speak so freely with her, yet at the same time, she blushed when he asked her that question about Taylor. "Ask him about it. It's the first step toward forgiveness."

"That's what Dr. Simon told me too."

Crystal replied, "You know, you don't have to know the tiny details of what happened- just the general idea. It may ease your mind. I want so much for you to be happy. I really like Taylor, he's good for you- you know?."

"I know that." Kris's eyes filled with tears. "Maybe I'll talk to him."

"Please do honey. Get this sorted out and I promise, you'll be glad you did. Ok? I hope I helped out some."

"You did. Thanks momma." Kris said, and closed his cell phone. He leaned on his dresser and bit his thumbnail. _'I know she and Dr. Simon are right, but this image of Taylor thrusting in and out of Cassandra is so vivid, so..... ugh! I know exactly how he moves his hips, how he makes love, how his face looks, all the noises he makes, the swearing and intensity of his voice when he says how good it feels, how his body tenses before he cums, how he collapses all sweaty and hot to kiss my face as he labors to catch his breath. I can't ask him! I don't want to know. Oh shut up Kris, momma said don't ask for details. Maybe I can ask him.... Ask him what?.... Ask him if he enjoyed himself? No, that sounds childish. Think.... think...'_

"Kris?" Noah called out as he walked down the hall to Kris's blue bedroom. "Hey there." he said with a smile, but it immediately left his face when he saw that Kris was upset.

"Are you going to be ok? Do you want to talk?" Noah stepped into the room and hugged Kris. Kris hugged him back and answered, "I just talked to my mom. She opened my eyes, well so did Dr. Simon, but she supported what he said to me."

"Hm, well if you need to talk, I'm here for you, Luke is too." Noah said empathetically.

"Thank you, but the person I need to talk to is-"

"Kris and Noah?" Taylor stopped outside the bedroom door, having just arrived. "The pizza is here. Luke and I are waiting for you two to come out."

Noah and Kris broke apart from their hug. Noah nodded encouragingly at Kris before walking past Taylor.

~~**~~

Luke smiled at Noah when he sat down next to him on the couch. Noah planted a kiss on Luke's lips with a moan. "Lets start the movie. I don't think they'll be joining us. Cross your fingers, hopefully they won't come out for the rest of the night." Noah's hand crept across Luke's thigh and kept going until it cupped his desire between Luke's legs.

"Noah, man... I'm fucked out tired." Luke laughed.

"I don't think so." Noah said huskily. "You're beginning to rise to the occasion."

"God you're horny today." Luke pulled Noah's head close and kissed him. "I want to see this comedy. Rain check?"

"Oh, I don't know." Noah said with a sly smirk. "I better get that in writing. You're IOU's are worth squat."

"Dick." Luke uttered with a playful laugh.

"Prick." Noah countered.

"Ha, joystick." Luke snickered.

Noah thought for a while and couldn't come up with anything, then an idea popped into his head, "Hmm, candystick, because your dick is delicious."

"Phallic." Luke smiled.

"That doesn't rhyme." Noah stated with one brow raised.

"Yes it does, you're just sore because you lost. You can't think of another word to rhyme that refers to a sexual organ? Ha! I win this time!"

Noah brooded for a minute before he raised his head and shouted, "Fiddlestick! I win."

Luke mumbled with a crooked smile. "I give up. You win, you ball sack."

"Ass crack." Noah bellowed.

"I'm done playing!" Luke said loudly with a silly grin on his face.

"I'm not. How about- I'm going to jerk and jack. I'm ahead by two now. Better get that brain thinking Snyder."

"ARG." Luke growled and straddled Noah's lap, his arms hooking around Noah's neck. He kissed the side of his neck, whispering between pecks, "Hee- Hee, I win, loser.... I wanna watch you **whack**."

"Really?" Noah asked astonished at what Luke suggested, but also recognizing that Luke won that round.

"Yea Noah." Luke blew hot air in his ear. "You're hot when your balls deep in your fist. I want you to cum on me."

"God... Luke... you're making me..." Noah gasped because Luke ground himself on Noah's crotch. "Where would you want me to cum on you?" he asked, leaning his head against the back of the couch. Luke saw the opportunity and attacked Noah's throat, specifically his Adam's apple, licking and using his lips to nip at it. He brought his head up, looked into Noah's brilliant blue, love filled eyes and grinned wickedly.

"On my neck, but mostly," Luke traced Noah's jaw and finished, "on my face."

"Shhhit... lets go upstairs nowww." Noah said with an ache in his moan.

"No," Luke said, enjoying being in control of the situation. He loved using manipulation, just like the characters in his book. He felt empowered and knew that Noah was at his mercy. "MAYBE later."

"Uh! **Maybe**?" Noah gaped at his boyfriend. "Maybe? What's this 'maybe' shit? You got me all riled up and you say maybe." Noah shook his head. "You better come through mister."

"Or what?"

"Or what? Or what, is that I'll cum on you when you're asleep. How's that for 'or what?'" Noah snickered, pulling Luke's body closer to his groin. He raised his hips and crushed his crotch against Luke's groin. "Tell me that doesn't turn you on and I'll let you off the hook."

Luke's breath hit Noah's face when he sighed, losing the upper hand he thought he had.

"You cum on me while I'm sleeping and you'll be getting the same treatment in return. Some night when you're sound asleep and not expecting it. I might even do it in your hair. So there!" Luke jabbed a finger at Noah's chest with his eyes narrowed, showing how serious he was, but a smirk plastered on his mouth confirmed that he was teasing.

"Time out." Noah said, lifting the back of Luke's shirt to snake his hands up and down Luke's back. "I'll agree to 'perform' for you later. Whatever you want. Ok?"

"Deal. Let's eat and watch the movie. I heard it's good." Luke awkwardly backed up, getting off Noah's lap, and went to the DVD player.

~~**~~

"May I come in?" Taylor with a fair amount of modesty. He put his hands into his pockets, looking like he was unsure and insecure.

"Um, sure." Kris nodded, seeing Taylor step into his bedroom almost before the words were out of his mouth.

"What's up?" Taylor at on the edge of the bed, looking up at Kris. He looked closer at the blond, seeing that Kris was stressed and tense. He spoke with sensitivity, "If you don't want me here, please don't feel like you have to accommodate me."

"No, you can stay." Kris said, biting his bottom lip. "I wanted to talk to you anyway about... stuff." he said vaguely, looking down because he wasn't able to face Taylor. He was too embarrassed and he didn't think he could muster up enough courage to ask Taylor about Cassandra.

"Thanks Kris," Taylor expressed with respect, "I really appreciate the fact that you're even talking to me."

"Yea, I decided I can't live in the house without talking to you. I can't avoid you because you live here too." Kris ran his fingers through his blond hair, trying to form the scattered thoughts in his head into something logical.

"Do you want to ask me to move?" Taylor asked, his brows drawn tightly together. A lump formed in his throat when he asked faintly, "Is that what you need? For me to leave so you can heal?"

"No." Kris shook his head. Didn't Taylor remember the scorching kiss they shared a little while ago? Did he really have to spell this out for him? He'd already told Taylor he still loved him. Did Taylor forget or did Taylor think he was lying or had changed his mind?

Kris kept staring at the floor, scrunching up his face due to his confusion.

Taylor stood up and asked, "What is it?"

Kris looked up at last, meeting Taylor's piercing blue eyes and shrugged. "Nothing I guess."

Taylor reached out to him with an unhurried, deliberate manner. He placed his hands on Kris's shoulders and bend down a little in order to be eye level with him, as equals. "Tell me please. I've waited for a month for you. An agonizingly long month for you to come back to me, Kris. Please tell me what you want. Do you want to work on us or throw in the towel because you don't trust me, because you believe I betrayed you. I just want to know either way so I can deal with your decision."

Kris stated angrily and bluntly, "Don't you think I deserve some time to think about things? I mean you pretty much messed me up!"

Taylor hitched his breath before yanking his hands away from Kris's shoulders suddenly as if he'd been bitten. He stood up straight again and nodded, then without a word, he left Kris's bedroom for his own room.

"Wait! Taylor!" Kris winced, then decided to let him go. Maybe this was for the better. His emotions were all over the chart today. Up, down and not too stable.

Taylor dragged his feet to his room, entered, closed the door, and locked it for the first time in a long time, then he crawled into bed.

_'Kris needs time, I can deal with that, but those mood swings I can deal without. I know he's not trying to be hurtful and it was really callous of me to demand that he make a choice. That was just plain stupid on my part. I only want him back- whatever it takes. I guess what it'll take is me backing off. Shit... I thought he was going to tell me he forgave me and that he wanted me to be his boyfriend again. God Taylor, you are so pathetic. Kris just got out of the clinic and you're already making the moves on him. What happened to the sensible side of me? I was always in control. He's reduced me to a humble, pleading, bumbling idiot. He rightfully has the advantage here. I can try harder to respect his need for privacy while he thinks. He deserves that and he does have the right to be angry with me. All he needs is time. He can take all the time he needs. That's fine. It'll be ok.'_


	31. Chapter 31

THE CHASE

CHAPTER: 31

RATED: NC-17 Nuke Sex & Strong Language

SUMMARY: The roommates go out for a good time. At the club, Noah and Luke have a good time while Taylor and Kris go their separate ways. Later, Kris wants to talk, but is afraid so Taylor takes charge.

WARNING: Out of Character

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

My editing, my mistakes, my apologies.

"This is ridiculous..." Luke said, watching Noah get dressed. He was getting ready to go out to the club, whereas Luke had been ready to leave a half an hour ago. Luke unconsciously pouted when Noah slipped his arms through a green shirt, covering his desirable body. Luke's eyes reluctantly left his boyfriend's chest as he finished his sentence, "Kris can't stay home all the time!"

"What do you propose we do? We can't drag him to come with us." Noah buttoned his shirt before he tucked it into his black slacks with his black belt still unfastened.

Luke approached Noah and took the belt ends, using them to pull Noah into his body. Noah chuckled. "Really? I just showered and got dressed. You want to get undressed now?"

"No." Luke grinned and turned his face up to receive a kiss from Noah's sizzling lips. When their breath became heavy, Luke broke the enticing kiss and looped Noah's belt for him, pulling it tight as he did the belt buckle. "There. You look very handsome." He grinned, staring at the buckle, then lower.

Noah shook his head and laughed at Luke's fixation with his groin.

"Sorry," Luke said, his eyes rising slowly up Noah's body to his face. "I'm in love with your 'junk'." Luke giggled.

Noah rolled his eyes, but felt honored at the same time. "What do you have planned for Taylor tonight? He said he'd come to the club to get out of the house. Personally, I think it's a great idea. I think he's a little uncomfortable being around Kris when we're not here."

"No doubt. I know they've talked about what happened when Taylor got Cassandra pregnant because Kris told me they had."

"Kris hasn't mentioned anything about getting back together with Taylor." Noah added.

"Oh? Taylor didn't tell me that. I thought they would have addressed that subject already. It sucks." Luke frowned.

"Hey," Noah held Luke's chin. "Don't frown. You're face will stick like that."

Luke jokingly crossed his eyes at Noah.

"Your eyes will too. Geez, I want my hot boyfriend back. I don't think I could date a gargoyle." Noah laughed and kissed Luke's nose. "You ask Kris if he'll come and I'll entertain Taylor."

Taylor was waiting on the couch for Luke and Noah. He was grateful they continued to invite him to do things with them, like going to the club.

"Hi Noah, ready?" Taylor smiled. "You look good."

"Don't I always?" Noah said cockily.

Taylor chuckled and shrugged, "If you say so."

Noah snickered and waved his hand at Taylor. "You look nice too."

"Thanks." Taylor smiled.

~~**~~

"Kris?" Luke knocked on the open door of the bedroom.

Kris turned away from his closet and smiled. "Hi Luke. Wow, you look great. I hope you all have fun tonight."

"I will because you're joining us."

"Oh no I'm not." Kris pointed to his laundry basket and made up an excuse off the top of his head, "I have to finish putting my clothes away."

"That's so lame." Luke's twisted smile made Kris laugh.

"You're coming Kris. Get dressed." Luke walked to the closet and took out the clothes he and Noah gave to Kris for Christmas. "Here, put this on. You'll look very hot."

Kris took off his shirt, revealing his smooth chest and tight abdomen. He slipped his arms through the sleeves and buttoned the shirt. "Tell me, why do you want me to come?"

Luke shrugged, "You haven't been out since you came home, aside from going to college to make up your missed classes. You need a mans night out. Hurry, get those pants on too." Luke said as he turned away. He was digging through Kris's drawer for a pair of socks when he saw the dildo that Taylor had given to him for Christmas, still in its box, unopened. He smirked and took out a pair of black socks. "Here." he tossed them at Kris, who caught them.

After Kris was dressed, he asked, "Well?" He turned around. "How do I look?"

Luke studied Kris while stroking his chin. "Nice, but--" Luke walked to Kris and ran his fingers through his clean, silky, blond hair. "Better." he smiled.

"Luke? Do you think I could sit next to you in the car.... or next to Noah? I sorta don't want to sit next to Taylor."

"Still?" Luke sighed. "Alright, fine. I wish you two would make up already. You know Valentines Day is coming up. That would be a romantic day to get back together."

"I don't know what I want Luke. I need more time." Kris said, checking Luke's expression, then contradicted himself, "I know what I want, but, I don't know why I'm waiting."

"Maybe you're shy about getting back into a relationship."

"No." Kris shook his head. "It's more like, I don't know if he wants me back too. Does that make sense?"

"No." Luke said bluntly.

"What I mean is.... well, because of my behavior. I don't want him to think I'm fragile minded or still very immature because of what I did. I feel like he would think he'd have to take care of me. Like Dr. Simon said, it was a brief episode and that doesn't make me ill- it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm gonna flip out again. It could be a one time thing. Anyway, I know better now. I know that I should have talked to you or Noah."

"You couldn't. It was too late by the time you came to us. Besides, Dr. Simon said almost anyone might have reacted the way you did. I know I'd feel like shit and want to die if Noah did something drastic and hurt me badly."

"You sorta did, you locked yourself in your room."

"Yea, but I didn't wanna die... or I don't remember feeling like that."

"Wasting away because you're not eating IS a sign of wanting to die, Luke."

"Enough about me! Jesus, come on. They're waiting." Luke took Kris's hand and pulled him out to the living room.

Luke and Taylor stood up. Noah whistled and Taylor eyed Kris with longing in his blue eyes.

Kris thanked Noah for whistling, then he glanced at Taylor. His ex-boyfriend was wearing blue, tight jeans with an untucked, shimmery, silky, dark-blue shirt. Kris noticed that Taylor had left a few buttons undone, revealing part of his dark chest hair. Kris tore his eyes away, feeling his heart drop into his stomach, disrupting the butterflies flitting around inside. He gulped, entranced by Taylor's beauty. He always had been attracted to him, but this particular outfit certainly got his blood boiling. His eyes gravitated to the v-opening of Taylor's shirt again. It had been a few weeks before Christmas since he'd seen Taylor's chest hair- so long ago. The way he felt when he looked at it now, turned him into a mindless idiot.

"You look terrific Kris." Taylor said with an innocent smile, not knowing what he was doing to the 21-year-olds body.

Flustered, Kris replied, "Um, yea, thanks.... you look really.... you look really good too.... I mean really great. That color really suits you."

"Really?" Taylor teased.

Kris blushed when Taylor drew attention at the amount of times he used the word 'really'. In fact Kris wanted to use it again, but he didn't. "Yes, honestly." he stated, showing Taylor that he couldn't be unnerved or shaken by him.

Kris continued to hold Luke's hand, ready to lead him outside. Luke leaned over and whispered, "Good recovery Kris."

"Thanks." Kris whispered back with a smile.

Kris and Luke walked out first, then Noah and lastly, Taylor.

"Taylor does something to you, I can tell. Hell, the whole room heard it in your voice and felt it in the air. Sexxxxxxual energy." Luke snickered, wiggling his fingers at Kris.

"So what. That doesn't mean I have to act on it." Kris glanced at Luke. "Who's driving?"

"I am. I promised to have one drink and that's all." Luke said, "I can watch you all get stinking drunk, act like fools and dance like you think you're the hottest dancers on the floor." he laughed.

"Will Noah care if I sit up front with you?" Kris asked.

"No I don't mind. Just keep your hands in your lap. His package is mine to unwrap tonight." Noah slapped Luke on the ass.

"Hey, Hey now." Luke laughed embarrassedly with a blush. "Watch what you say."

"Oh baby, Taylor and Kris aren't virgins. If I want to express my love for your cock I will."

"NOAH!!" Luke turned around, his mouth hanging open.

"There it is. That hot mouth looks like it's ready to go to work." Noah laughed again when Luke promptly closed his mouth and turned back around. Now his cheeks were burning red. Thankfully it was dark enough that no one noticed.

Taylor was walking next to Noah and enjoyed the banter- the back and forth wittiness of his two roommates. He knew Kris would be laughing under any other circumstances, but he was quiet. Maybe he was thinking?

The four men piled into Luke's car. Luke and Kris in the front, Taylor and Noah in the back. Noah and Taylor chatted briefly about work, other than that, the drive to the club was relatively quiet and somewhat uncomfortable.

Inside the club, Kris asked Luke to dance right away, even before they ordered a drink or got a table. Since Luke was getting much better at dancing, he agreed and led Kris to the middle of the floor.

Taylor watched from the sidelines, not jealously, but wondering if he should ask to cut in. _'Or, I could wait for Kris to ask me to dance. That's not me though. I'm used to controlling my own situations. This is hell. Maybe later, after he's had a few drinks I'll ask him to dance. No, that's manipulation. Jesus Christ Taylor! Make up your fucking mind!!'_

"Wanna dance?" Noah asked him.

"Nah, not right now. I need a drink." Taylor released his eyes from the hypnotic hold Kris's dance moves had on him. "Fuck." he murmured.

"Hm?" Noah asked.

"Oh, its just Kris. He has this effect on me. I want to take him in my arms and kiss him, but I know he vulnerable. It's just.... fuck!"

"I get it." Noah agreed. "It's hard to be roommates when you still love each other." Noah ordered a beer for each of them while he waited for Taylor's response.

"I don't think he loves me anymore. Maybe I'm just a piece of meat to him. He stares at me like he 'wants' me, you know? And yet he won't approach me in 'that' way. Hell, he doesn't really approach me at all."

"Good, you don't want him to use you like a piece of meat." Noah took a swallow from his bottle of beer as the bartender handed the other bottle to Taylor.

"I suppose not. Shit Noah, it's been so long I've had sex." Taylor admitted. "When I see him, especially dressed up like that..." Taylor motioned, pointing his beer bottle at Kris, "or even when he wears those grey shorts to bed and I see his legs and upper body... I just go nuts."

"Hey, your hand might count as having sex." Noah laughed.

"Nope, it doesn't." the guy sitting on the stool next to Taylor said. He looked at Noah, then at Taylor. "So which one of you is having guy trouble?"

Taylor raised his bottle and said, "That would be me."

"I'm Matt." he put out his hand with a grin on his face.

"Taylor." he said as he shook Matt's hand. Matt had a nice strong grip as well as a handsome face and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He had a very lean body, but he wasn't Taylor's type.

"So who's the guy? He here?" Matt turned to the dance floor.

"Yea, towards the middle of the dance floor. See the two blonds? The one on the right." Taylor watched Luke and Kris dance for a few moments before sighing and turning away. They looked like they were enjoying themselves immensely.

"He's hot. So is the guy with him. Mm-Mm-Mm" Matt said breathlessly, ogling Luke.

"He's mine," Noah said proudly and protectively, "and he's not into anyone but me."

"Ok, take it easy man. I'm not scoping for a hole to fuck tonight." Matt chuckled. "I was only appreciating your man's beauty. Ok?"

"That's fine." Noah snickered at Matt's bluntness.

Matt looked at Taylor and shrugged, "Some guys are so testy."

Taylor raised his bottle and finished his beer. "Some are." he agreed.

Noah walked out onto the dance floor when the music changed to an upbeat, familiar song. He took Luke away from Kris. "Sorry, but this is our song." he told Kris before facing Luke. "Remember Luke? Our very first dance together, the first time me, you and Taylor went out after I moved into the townhouse."

"How could I forget. You had me grinding on your leg through the whole song!" he smiled sexily at Noah.

"I'm going to get a beer then." Kris said and turned away, bumping into Trent- the guy he brought home when he was drunk to make Taylor jealous. He had let Trent have his way with him- the night that Taylor finally told Kris he loved him.

"Hi. Kris, right?" Trent asked, taking in Kris's body, face, and hair.

"That's right. How are you?" Kris asked.

"I'll tell you while we dance." Trent said, grabbing Kris's hand and wrapping it around his neck, then he wrapped both his arm around Kris's waist and stepped very close to him.

"I don't think we should-" Kris took a step back. "be dancing so close."

"Kris," Trent said looking around. "everyone is dancing like this. It doesn't mean that I want to get in your pants." _'But I do! He's gorgeous and that hole of his was so fucking tight and his body was beautiful and his dick was delicious. I'll get him drunk and take him to my place, or to my car-- or maybe he'll just be easy. He was so hard up to take me home last time. Hm, I wonder if he's playing hard to get? I love that game.'_

"Alright." Kris said hesitantly, then a minute later he was enjoying himself. He had to remove Trent's straying hands from his butt a few times, but the conversation was interesting.

After a few songs and dances later, Trent asked, "Buy you a drink?"

"Yea, just a beer is fine. I'm going to the restroom to wash up." Kris said, his face covered in perspiration.

"Ok. See you at...." Trent looked around. "How about at that table over there?" he pointed to the north wall.

"Good. I'll be back." Kris said over his shoulder as he walked away.

~~**~~

Luke and Noah joined Matt and Taylor, taking a seat at the bar. Taylor was drinking a coke now, along with Luke, but Noah was guzzling down beer.

"Slow down babe." Luke lowered Noah's bottle as well as his voice, "I don't want you wasted tonight when we have... fun."

" 'Kay." Noah replied. "After this one, I'm done." He gave Luke a smoldering look.

Luke leaned forward, put his hand high on Noah's thigh and said in an excited, provocative way, "Good, because I don't want you fumbling with my dick when you're drunk. I mean, come on Noah, you break it, you buy it."

"Oh, buy it? Can't I have it for free?"

"Nope." Luke laughed.

"Well, if you're selling, I'm buying." Noah grinned. "Now kindly take your hand off my cock."

Luke looked at where his hand was. "It's not on your cock, it's on your thigh dimwit."

"No, that's my cock."

"Oh It goes down your leg now?" Luke laughed hard.

"Yup, it stops at my knee." Noah chuckled, seeing Luke's shocked face. "I was born hung like a horse."

"Shhh, you're getting a little loud."

"No shit." Taylor laughed. "But hey, that horse dick is something I'd pay to see, Noah."

"I wouldn't mind either. Hell, I'd even have a go at it." Matt rose his hand to his mouth and made the blow job motion, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek as he moved his hand back and forth.

Taylor laughed and pulled Matt's hand down. "Knock that off."

Noah kept laughing, while Luke was mortified at the content of the discussion, not only with Taylor, which would have been in fun, but with a complete stranger.

"Let's go dance." Luke stood up and pulled Noah up. "Please? You can teach me some new moves- like the-" Luke turned and looked at Taylor and Matt before finishing his sentence. They were still laughing, causing him to blush. Even Noah was still chuckling about it. "teach me how to clog, or something." Luke said, not knowing what he was talking about.

"HA-HA-HA!!" Noah laughed his ass off and laid his arm across Luke's shoulders. "You are one of a kind Luke. God I love you!" Noah said, still laughing while nuzzling Luke's neck.

"You're drunk. Dance with me and burn off that alcohol." Luke turned his head and kissed Noah on the head.

"Let's go home and burn it off by fucking." Noah grabbed Luke's head and kissed his mouth as his body ground against him, dancing erotically.

~~**~~

"Two beers please." Trent said, pulling a ten out of his wallet. Taylor looked at the guy, then away. He had the feeling of familiarity, but the sense quickly left him. Curious about his first instinct when he saw this person made him swivel his stool and followed Trent with his eyes, trying to place him. Growing frustrated, he stood up, still watching Trent closely as he walked slowly in the same direction Trent was headed.

"Hey, dance?" A man stopped Taylor. He was in his forties, distinguished and handsome.

"Uh," Taylor looked for Trent and saw him sitting in a booth alone with the two beers. "Sure." he smiled at the man.

~~**~~

At the bar, Charles bought a beer for Taylor and a mixed drink for himself. They talked for nearly a half hour before Taylor spoke up.

"I have to check on my roommate. I think he may be digging himself in deep. I'm going to see if he's alright." Taylor said. "Thank you Charles, for the beer and the dances. You seem like a really nice guy, but I'm not looking right now."

"No problem Taylor." Charles smiled, "Good luck with your roommate."

Taylor weaved and twisted through the throng of people on the dance floor to reach Trent and Kris's table. What he saw shocked him. He crossed his arms and stared at the back of Trent's head, hoping he was burning a hole into it with his hateful stare. Kris had his head back and his eyes closed while Trent kissed his neck.

"Taaaylor..." Kris moaned.

"No, it's Trent." Trent raised his head to look at Kris. "Wanna get out of here? We can go to my car or back to my place."

"Yea, our place." Kris sighed.

Trent laughed, "Come on. Let's go. I want to get you naked again. There's so many things I want to do with you."

Kris opened his eyes and gasped, seeing Taylor standing at the table looking very angry. Trent turned, seeing the same intensity of outrage that Kris saw, then recognition hit him.

"Oh shit. You're...." Trent started to stand up, but Taylor put his hand on Trent's shoulder and pushed him down.

"Stay. I'd like to hear what you want to do to Kris." Taylor snarled.

"Uh, nothing." Trent answered drunkenly. "I was just joking around."

"Didn't sound like it to me. Did it to you Kris?" Taylor asked, addressing his roommate with a look that implied he was afraid, yet pissed off.

Kris glanced at Taylor, seeing the look, and licked his alcohol flavored lips before he looked at Trent. He whispered, "I don't want to go with you." Then his eyes strayed to Taylor. Kris also looked fearful, wondering if Taylor would leave him here with the knowledge of what Trent wanted to do.

"I think you do." Trent whispered back to Kris. "You told me you wanted to fuck. Tell your roommate to scram so we can leave, ok?"

Kris whispered, "No, I changed my mind."

"Come on Kris, you told me it's been a while and you miss it. We're both horny, lets go to my place and get freaky." Trent said through his teeth. He took Kris's hand under the table and squeezed it. "You owe me."

Kris looked at Taylor, who had watched the exchange between Kris and Trent, but couldn't hear their whispers very clearly. Kris spoke in a shaky voice, "I'm ok Taylor. I- I- want to be alone with Trent. Go back to our roommates, Nick and Andy."

Trent grinned at Taylor as if to say, 'Ha Ha, I win.'

Taylor squinted his eyes at Trent, reached out and grabbed his shirt, lifting him out of the booth. He pulled Trent close and said near his ear, "Leave Kris the hell alone. If you don't, I will fuck you up so bad that even your mommy won't recognize you. Got it, you piece of shit!"

Kris watched Taylor, amazed by the sense of control he had, even when he was angry- and Taylor was most definitely angry.

"Fuck off! He wants to come with me." Trent yelled drunkenly in Taylor's face while he struggled to get away.

Taylor had the nerve to laugh sarcastically before he spoke, "Go home alone and jack your tiny wiener by yourself, you whiny little bitch."

"You--" Trent began to cut Taylor down again, but Taylor pulled him even closer so they met chest to chest.

Taylor spoke in a low, biting voice, "Leave, if you know what's good for you, you fucking little dickhead." he pushed Trent backwards. Trent landed on the table on his ass and both elbows.

Taylor looked at Kris with a hard stare and asked, "Coming?"

Kris nodded with admiration in his eyes. It felt like he was falling in love, deeper in love, with Taylor again. He believed Taylor would always be there for him no matter what. Either to help him or save him, Kris didn't care, but he knew Taylor cared about him. By changing their roommates names, Kris let Taylor know that he wasn't alright. Taylor could have easily walked away and left him with Trent, but instead Taylor came to his rescue, again.

Kris scooted out of the booth and followed Taylor to the dance floor, thinking Taylor might ask him to dance, but all he did was break up Luke and Noah from their public display of erotic affection for each others lips, butts and crotches.

"Let's go." Taylor stated.

"Fine with me." Noah grinned at Luke as he took his hand.

"Me too." Luke said seductively, staring into Noah's blue eyes.

"Good, c'mon." Taylor said, walking with determination and, to a small degree, anger at Kris. _'I tell him I love him when I leave for work every morning whether he says it back or not and he's off kissing that scab...Trent.'_ Taylor sighed as he got into the back of Luke's car. _'Kris was moaning MY name, not Trent's. Does he want me back or what? He certainly seemed grateful that I showed up. I'm glad I did. God I __would have loved to take Trent out back to kick his ass into next week. The nerve of him telling Kris what to say, but why couldn't Kris say no to him or get up and leave on his own?'_

Taylor stared at the back of Kris's head trying to figure him out. What Taylor HAD figured out so far was about himself. He knew he was jealous that he found Trent kissing Kris. It should have been himself that was kissing Kris. He leaned forward and asked, "Kris? Are you alright?"

Kris nodded and turned his head. Taylor could see the outline of his profile by the light of the other cars on the road coming towards them in the other lane.

"Yea, why?" Kris asked.

"Well, you seemed out of it at the club." Taylor explained, "I thought you were drunk."

"No, I just have a nice buzz going on. Feels good to let the stress go and not feel anything." Kris turned away to look out the windshield.

_'Ok, that's enlightening. I stress him out and he'd rather not feel anything for me. Great. We have to talk. I'm tired of waiting. I need to know if I should move on or keep trying. I don't want to continue to put every effort, every part of me, into something I want if he has no interest in me anymore.'_

Luke looked in the rearview mirror and made googly eyes at Noah. Noah began to giggle, something he didn't really do. Luke was the giggler, but tonight Noah was wound up and giddy.

at home.....

Luke pumped the base of Noah's cock and licked the shaft with slow, deliberate movements while Noah lay on his back on their bed, arching his back to the ceiling.

Luke swirled the wet tip of his tongue on the head of Noah's cock before looking at Noah's face. "I love sucking dick." he said with a lick of his lips.

"Good, cuz I like feeding it to you." Noah smiled and raised his hips. "Eat up Luke."

"Nuh-Uh." Luke shook his head and flipped Noah over. "I'm done eating up front. I'm gonna eat your ass."

"OhhhhGoddd!" Noah loved it when Luke took charge.

Luke parted Noah's cheeks and dove right in without warning, without teasing the area around his opening, without testing the waters.

"UHHHH YESSSS!!!" Noah yelled unrestrained, thrilled by the tingling sensations that Luke's magical, eager tongue was impressing on his hole. Noah thumped his head on his pillow, moaning. He couldn't get enough. He rocked back and forth on Luke's face.

After several minutes, Noah breathed heavily, "Fuck me with... something... hard. Need... your dick... in me."

Luke scattered off the bed and grabbed the strawberry flavored lube called 'Rim Job' off the nightstand. "I'm gonna make you feel really good Noah." he said, lubing his fingers and inserted them into Noah's ready hole.

Luke slabbed more of the enticing strawberry scent on the palm of his hand before stroking his cock, getting his stiff, upturned dick, wet and slick. By the dim light in the room Luke saw that it was shiny and throbbing to the same beat as his heart. He took hold of it by the base and aimed it at Noah's waiting ass.

"Here I come." Luke moved forward on his knees.

"No, don't cum already!" Noah turned to look over his shoulder.

"Dipstick, I meant here I come- as in ready or not. By the look of your hot, wet hole, I'd say you're more than ready." Luke gazed at Noah's opening for a moment to take in its appeal. A medium size amount of flavored lube was dripping out so Luke took his finger and scooped it up. He used that finger to reinsert it into Noah. He teased Noah's hot spot by rubbing his finger against it, before he withdrew his finger and licked it off. "Mmm, I love strawberry flavored ass."

Noah giggled and wiggled his ass. "Luke, make love to me, fuck me, sex me up, just bury your fuckin' cock in me."

"Someone sure is impatient." Luke said, rubbing the head of his cock over Noah's hole, again and again. He watched Noah's entrance contract and relax each time his cock passed over it. "Christ." he hitched his breath at how Noah's body reacted to what he did to his body.

Luke ran his other hand up and down the back of Noah's leg, feeling the dark soft hair and the hot skin beneath his hand.

"Luuuuke...."

"Yea, yea... I know." Luke responded and smiled, his attention returning to the task at hand. He poised his cock and pressed past the pucker, watching it stretch to accommodate his thickness. "Ummm..." Luke moaned, entering inch by inch until Noah perched his hands on the headboard and pushed backwards, forcing Luke's cock to enter him fully.

"Damn! Are you alright?" Luke asked, hearing Noah grunt, then a series of gasps.

"Yea, fine. Give me-- a min-- minute." Noah scrunched up his face and bit the inside of his cheek.

~~**~~

Taylor looked to the loft from where he was sitting on the couch when he heard Noah grunt loudly. Kris turned too and tried not to smile.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kris asked, turning back around only to stare at his own lap. He was afraid to look at Taylor after what happened at the club.

"Are you going to start dating other guys?" Taylor asked, crossed his leg over the other, and tried to gauge Kris's reaction to the question.

"What?"

"I want to know because-"

"You want to date someone, right." Kris said as a statement rather than a question.

"Not at the moment, but if you and I aren't headed anywhere...." Taylor left it at that.

Kris's tapped his foot nervously. He sat and thought for a while, for so long that Taylor rose and said, "I guess that's my answer, goodnight." He walked away with a heavy step and his head down.

"Damn." Kris mumbled to himself. He didn't want to end their conversation this way. "Taylor?" he called out.

Taylor stopped, but didn't turn around. "Yea?" he asked, his voice affected by sadness.

Kris rose off the couch and stood behind Taylor. "Thanks for saving me at the club."

Taylor's shoulders slumped. He thought Kris was going to say something else.

"In a way, a strange way, Trent helped me." Kris said, staring at Taylor's ass. He bit his bottom lip and resisted the urge to grab the jean covered mounds of muscle.

Taylor turned around to face Kris. "How is that?"

"Well," Kris answered, mesmerized once again by the chest hair peeking out of Taylor's unbuttoned shirt.

Now it was Taylor who had to resist grabbing Kris. When he saw the look in Kris's eyes and how he was biting on his lip, it made him want to ravish Kris's mouth. "Well what?"

Kris was lost. _'What was I going to say before I saw his chest hair?'_ "Oh! I realized that I don't want to date."

"Well, Trent was a jerk, maybe the next one won't be." Taylor turned around and took two steps.

"No Taylor, you're not listening to me. I don't want to date other guys." Kris admitted with his head down and redness creeping up his neck. "I'm not interested in anyone."

"Anyone?" Taylor asked in a soft voice as he faced Kris again. _'Not even me? No, look at him. He's embarrassed. He's trying to tell me, but he can't say it. He has to though, it's the only way.'_

Kris shrugged, "I think you know what I mean." he said shyly.

"No, I don't. Why don't you just say it?" Taylor put a hand on his hip while Kris once again took his time to respond. Taylor knew what Kris wanted, but why couldn't he just come out and admit it? He waited a minute more before grabbing Kris's arm and leading him down the hall.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Kris rose his voice as he was being pulled towards Taylor's bedroom.

Taylor opened his bedroom door and said with a distinct edge to his voice. "Get in there and into that bed, now. We are going to hash this out tonight and I don't want any complaints. None. This room," he pointed inside before he finished talking. "is a no grumbling or whining zone. Got it?!" Then as an afterthought, he said, "No bitching either."

Kris swallowed hard. He nodded and ground his teeth together so he wouldn't be tempted to make a snotty remark.

"Good, now do as I say, get your ass inside. I'll be in there in a few minutes." Taylor stared at Kris, making sure he was going to obey him. When he saw Kris shed his shirt, he closed the door and went to the living room and sat on the couch to think. He had to calm down in order to talk to Kris in a civil manner. He certainly didn't mean to scare him, but he was worried he had. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and tried to think, but the noises flowing from beneath the loft's door were making it hard. Taylor could hear Noah shouting recklessly.

"LUKE, OHHHH, LUKE!!!"

"UH, UH, UH, GOD!!" he heard Luke grunting very loudly. "Take it babe! Take my big cock!!!!"

"AH, AH, UH--"

"SHIT!!!!"

"I'M GONNA, GONNA..... UUUUHGNNNN!!!" Taylor heard Noah and thought he sounded like he was screaming bloody murder. He smiled and closed his eyes, waiting for them both to finish, then hopefully it would be quiet so he could think.

Up in the bedroom, Noah had cum erratically all over the bedspread. He was moaning into the pillow now. Luke's fingernails were still digging into his hips and the scent of sex, cum and sweat hung in the air like a shroud.

Luke decided to slow down now that Noah had cum. He wanted to enjoy himself and Noah's ass. He drew back as far as he could without withdrawing his cock, then he entered Noah again- slowly, feeling the friction on his cock from Noah's wet inner walls. He started to move faster, and faster, letting himself go.

"OH, UH, NOAAAH, AHH--" Luke leaned forward and nipped at Noah's back.

Noah shuddered. Luke left wet, tongue tracks all over Noah's shoulders and upper back. When Luke breathed heavily, gasped and heaved, the expelled air raised goosebumps and made Noah shiver with delight.

"Ahhhh...." Luke moaned and pulled out after he'd cum. "Shit." he swore, more now than he ever did before meeting Noah. "I got friction burn." he laughed as he laid spread out next to Noah.

"I'd say." Noah chuckled, looking at Luke's cock. "You did have a lot of stamina tonight."

"Oh shut up. I was joking." Luke kissed Noah's lips, then asked, "What do you think Taylor and Kris are doing?"

"Nothing close to what we're doing." Noah rolled over and situated himself on Luke's body. He nuzzled and kissed Luke's neck whereas Luke attached his teeth and lips to the top of Noah's shoulder, giving him a slightly painful hickey.

~~**~~

Taylor sighed, deciding to head into the bedroom and let Kris do all the talking, that is, IF he'd talk. If not, Taylor had a few words he needed to say. He stood up, walked to the bedroom door and listened. He took a quick breath and went inside, then he shut the door. He saw Kris under the blankets, laying as still as he could be on his back, staring at the ceiling. Taylor didn't say a word, he just undressed to his briefs. Afterwards, he turned off the light so it was dark. Kris might be able to answer or ask questions if he didn't see Taylor's face staring at him.

Kris had continued to stare at the ceiling while Taylor was undressing. He didn't want to look. He didn't want to see his nearly naked body. He didn't want his own body to react any more than it was, and it would, had he seen Taylor in that state of undress. So, he stayed still, his muscles tense, his eyes looking upwards, his legs straight out and his arms laying straight against the sides of his body as if he were frightened stiff. He was a little scared and he definitely was stiff. Just being in Taylor's bedroom again, and soon to be in bed WITH him, made him erect- not to mention what the smell of Taylor did to his senses. Taylor's scent was permeated throughout the room, sinking into Kris's pores. Kris drew Taylor's smell in, sighed him in, sucked a deep breath of him into his suffocating lungs. Taylor's strong, pleasant odor sustained him. He closed his eyes, hearing the soft rustle of blankets lifting and hearing Taylor slide into bed with an intake of air, but he felt nothing, that is, no part of Taylor's body was touching him. No arms around him. No lips pressing against his skin. No heated breath on his body, nothing but the sound of Taylor's soft whisper hitting his ear, "Thank you for coming in here."

"Did I really have a choice?" Kris asked in a snippy tone.

"Yes. Yes of course you do. You can leave if you feel threatened by me. Jesus Kris, I'm not keeping you here against your will." Taylor was on his side, facing Kris, but he couldn't see him. "Am I?" he asked, wishing he'd been more tactful when he told, not asked, Kris to come into his room.

"No, I guess not." Kris replied, facing the dark ceiling.

"Can we talk? Or I can talk and you can listen. Or I can listen while you talk."

"I have some things to say first." Kris said. "Tell me again about you and Cassandra. I want to hear it again, just so I'm clear on what happened and to check and see if you changed your story."

Taylor nodded in the dark. He knew Kris would need to hear it again, and maybe again down the road, just to confirm that he had no sexual intimacy or feelings for Cassandra. He knew Kris needed assurance and a lot of it, but he didn't mind, he was happy to oblige.

"Ok--" Taylor began.

~~**~~

"UHH!" Noah cried out after Luke came again. He fell to the bed, rolling onto his back and said loudly, "My fucking hole is fucking burning!" Noah pushed the heels of his hands to his eyes. "Fuuuuck!"

"Haa- Haaa!" Luke kissed Noah's chest. "You kept wanting more, so I kept providing it"

"Yea, but shit Luke, ouch." Noah reached under himself and cupped his ass. "Jesus Christ man! Are my ass cheeks bleeding? You really hooked those fingernails into it."

"Jeez Noah. If I'm so bad, we just won't have sex anymore." Luke smirked as he plucked Noah's nipple with his teeth. "I could eat you up. In fact," Luke said, turning Noah's exhausted body over. "I think I will."

"You're not! Luke, no fucking way, you.... that's your own cuuuu- AHHH...." Noah closed his eyes as Luke lapped heartily at his ass, running his tongue from Noah's balls to his hole getting each trickle as it exited Noah's body.

"Ahhhhh... Luuuuke...."

"Mmmm- strawberry flavored cum. Nothing could be better, except the flavor of your cum, that is." Luke said before prodding Noah's opening with his tongue. He pushed it inside and felt the muscles contract on his tongue. He smiled despite his tongue being kept hostage. As soon as Noah relaxed, Luke searched the cavern, curling his tongue upwards, licking strawberry lube mixed with cum as Noah made noises Luke had never heard before.

"Luke.... OhGod, fuck me with your tongue. I'm getting fucking hard again. Can you friggin' believe it?"

Luke nodded, reached between Noah's legs and played with his nuts while Noah's hole pulled Luke's tongue in. Luke would withdraw it a little, wiggle it, then plunge it back inside.

_'God this is so much better than writing about it. I can't believe I ate my own cum! Well, now I can write rimming and tongue fucking more descriptively from now on. Thanks for being my test subject Noah!'_

~~**~~

"And that's all. I swear Kris. We didn't even remove our shirts." Taylor said with total honesty.

"She didn't jack you first-" Kris asked, hoping to be able to let this go. He felt better ever since Taylor told him what happened, but tonight he needed to hear it again. Taylor hadn't strayed from his original story.

"No, Kris If you remember back to that day, I specifically asked you to come along to jack me."

"I thought you were being sardonic." Kris admitted. Now he felt like a fool.

"No hon, I was serious. I went into their bathroom, thought about you and your face, your body and your laugh. When I was about to cum, I went back into her bedroom and finished up inside her, for less than a minute I might add, then I pulled out and got dressed. Bing-o bang-o, all done."

Kris's mouth and throat became thick and closed on him when he heard Taylor's slip of the tongue when he called him 'hon'. Inevitably, Kris grew hard again and his breath became ragged.

"Any more questions?" Taylor whispered. "I'll answer anything you want. Anything at all."

Kris inhaled through his nose. He had to get rid of his erection. He asked unsteadily, "Um, anything?"

"Anything at all." Taylor smiled, unbeknownst to Kris because of the darkness in the room, but Kris could tell Taylor seemed content by the intonation of his voice.

"Ok, I do have a question." Kris uttered softly. The gentle sound tickled Taylor's inner ear.

"Go ahead." Taylor spoke in a low-toned murmur, then waited, secretly hoping that Kris would tell him that he'd take him back. He said a quick prayer before he crossed his fingers.

Kris took a big breath, prepared to take Taylor back, but then lost his nerve. Off the top of his head, he blurted rapidly, "How tall is the Eiffel tower?"

Taylor stalled, hesitated and frowned. _'Did he ask.... yea, he did.'_

"I- don't- know-." Taylor said in a painful manner. Feeling rejected, he rolled over to his other side, away from Kris, and added, "I guess you can go. I'm pretty tired and we don't have anything else to talk about anyway."

Kris didn't move. He was laying in bed, unmoving- afraid to move, afraid to leave and afraid to stay.

_'I'm acting like an idiot. Why can't I come right out and tell him how I feel. He needs to know, he deserves to know. What am I frightened of? I can tell him what I want to do, then we can talk some more. I should be able to do that.'_

"You sh-should g-go." Taylor tried to hold in his feelings, choking and swallowing his sobs. "L-Leave please." he covered his mouth to silence himself. He had never cried so much until he met Kris.

_'I care about him so much. This hurts really bad!'_ Taylor thought to himself. He knew no other man in the whole world would ever love him like Kris did and he'd never have another relationship like the one he had with Kris.

Kris sat up and twisted his body. He laid his hand on Taylor's arm, feeling him shake and tremble.

"Taylor?" Kris said nervously. "Please don't cry. I don't want you to cry." He shook Taylor slightly.

Taylor's voice was throaty, "K-Kris, just g-go."

"No! I won't leave you like this." Kris pulled away and rolled out of bed. He went to the wall by the door and turned on the light switch. When he saw Taylor hunched up under the blankets, he walked to the side of the bed.

"Taylor?" Kris asked worriedly as he lowered himself to the edge of the bed. "I'm really sorry. This is my fault."

"N-No it's not." Taylor muttered. He was blinded by the light in the room and the tears in his eyes. He turned onto his stomach grimacing. He was in pain, real physical pain. His heart couldn't take much more.

Kris massaged Taylor's shoulders like Taylor had done to him so many times before. "Shh, calm down." Kris said frantically when Taylor begged him again to leave.

"I'm staying." Kris said, confronting Taylor, challenging him to say 'Leave' again.

Kris hugged Taylor, whispered words of endearment to him and eventually got him to turn over. "Here." Kris said, handing Taylor a kleenex from the box on the nightstand. He watched Taylor blow his nose and saw his lip quiver before he noticed that Taylor wouldn't look at him.

"Hey," Kris rubbed Taylor's arm. "Are you going to be ok?"

Taylor nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Look Taylor, this IS my fault."

"No." Taylor shook his head, wisps of dark hair on his forehead moved with the motion.

"Yes. Now just listen to me." Kris reached for Taylor's head and weaved his fingers through his hair. The tender action made Taylor's tears stop. He looked up and before he knew it, Kris was colliding with his body.

Kris didn't think, he just acted. His lips crashed into Taylor's, kissing him fiercely. Taylor's arms found their home around Kris's body. He kissed Kris with an intensity that had been building for weeks and weeks. He was disappointed when Kris began to pull back just slightly.

Kris spoke on Taylor's lips, not wanting to be away from them for long. "I want you Taylor. I want us to be together again. Do you want that? I need you to say it. Tell me you want that and need me too."

"Oh God Kris!" Taylor exclaimed happily, "I've wanted it so bad. I'm sorry I fucked things up for us."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. The whole baby situation blew up in my face." Taylor said sadly.

"Then it whirled around and bit you in the ass!" Kris joked and laughed. He rested his forehead against Taylor's, teasingly licked Taylor's lip and said, "Besides, something good is coming out of it. We're going to be daddy's!"

"Daddy's." Taylor grinned, loving the sound of that. He held Kris tightly and pulled him atop of his body. "I love you kiddo."

"I love you too.... daddy-o." Kris smiled as he looked down at Taylor's face. Suddenly, a look of hurt crossed his face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Taylor caressed Kris's light hair and sighed happily. "Kiss me again and I'll be alright. We can put all of this in the past, right? Me, Cassandra and you? We'll never dredge up the past, ok?"

"Definitely." Kris grinned, looking into the blue flames in Taylor's glowing eyes before laying a sweltering, long kiss on his lips.


	32. Chapter 32

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 32

RATED: Pg-13 for language

SUMMARY: February, It's Friday morning and Valentine's day is tomorrow.

WARNING: Out of Character, AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*A Special shout out to My Beta, OnceInALifetime, Who Puts Up With My Grammatical Errors Et Al Mistakes. A Huge THANK YOU For Your Time, Energy and For Accepting the Task at Hand.

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Kris jogged to the townhouse from the bus stop a few blocks away. His class load was light on Fridays, and today he was particularly eager to get home. Kris threw the front door open forcefully and ran into the townhouse.

"LUUUUKE!" he yelled to the loft. As he ran to the stairs, he threw his backpack to the side, not noticing that it landed with a thud on the couch. He kept running , skipping the first three steps of the stairs. His right foot landed on the fourth step and his left one up on the sixth.

Luke opened his bedroom door, seeing Kris dashing upstairs rapidly.

"Hey!" Kris said out of breath and grinning. "Lets go."

"Alright." Luke nodded. "Just a minute." he went to his desk and grabbed his wallet and cell phone to take with him.

"Hurry Luke! It's time to suck today's dick, lets go already!" Kris bounced from his heels to his toes impatiently.

"Nice." Luke laughed. "Does your husband know you talk like that?"

"Taylor? He's the one who said it to me once." Kris grinned before he grabbed Luke's hand and dragged him downstairs. He held out his other hand, staring at his engagement ring and stated with a happy snicker, "And, he's not my husband... yet. We haven't set a date. Now hurry your ass up, we don't have all day!"

"Relax! We have the rest of the morning and this afternoon." Luke said while he was being pulled to the front door.

"I'm sorry that I'm in a hurry, but I want to get this done and fast. It's freaking me out that I had to wait for the last minute for my parents to send a check for my spending money."

"Ok, ok. Calm down." Luke laughed at Kris as he slipped on a pair of black flip flops to match his black cargo shorts and tank with a print of a woman's face wearing bright-red lipstick on her full lips.

Kris already had the front door open, watching and waiting for Luke to get a move on.

Luke snapped his fingers. "Keys." he muttered before heading back upstairs.

"Awww!" Kris crossed his arms, becoming restless and agitated. _'He's doing me a favor, take it easy on him.'_ Kris reminded himself.

Luke came back down, his keys jingling in his hand. "Ready!" he glanced at Kris, who seemed edgy. He decided to keep things light until they got to the specialty store that made homemade candy and sold handcrafted gifts. Although Luke had already bought Noah his candy, card and a little something, a very little something, he'd agreed to take Kris today.

After stopping at the bank, so Kris could cash his check, they headed to the business district and parked in the rear of the Chocolatier's brick building.

As they walked to the front door, Kris abruptly stopped. "Shit!" he exclaimed and grabbed Luke's arm. "Taylor won't eat chocolate because it's not healthy."

"Kris, I've seen him eat junk food- chips, soda, pie. Come on. Valentine's Day is about chocolate."

"Yea, ok." Kris sighed and opened the front door. The bell tinkled above their heads as they entered the delicious smelling room. To the right, two older ladies were making fudge. Luke and Kris walked to the counter on the left and looked through the glass at every homemade chocolate imaginable. Turtles, chocolate covered nuts, cherries, blueberries and other fruit. Creamy fudge filled chocolates, alcohol filled chocolate and white chocolates... and more.

Overwhelmed, Kris muttered, "My god." as his eyes looked at each and every tray of decadently rich, chocolatey sweetness. There were too many to choose from.

"May I help you men?" A gentleman addressed Kris and Luke. Luke pointed to Kris and said, "He needs help."

The gentleman gazed at Kris. "Do you know what you'd like?"

"No." Kris answered, looking up. "I don't know what to get my fiancé." He looked back down.

The gentleman smiled. "Most women don't care what you get them, as long as you remember to get something." he chuckled. "You might want to get an assortment of chocolates so she'll be surprised when she bites into each piece. Or, if you know she has a favorite, you may want to buy that one certain kind."

Luke turned to Kris and asked, "I wonder what kind **she** likes." He snickered after Kris gave him a 'you're a smart ass' look.

"I think an assortment would be best." Kris said as he looked into the glass case again.

"Would you like that in a heart shaped box?" The gentleman asked.

"Yes." Kris looked up at the wall behind the man, seeing three different sizes of hearts displayed on the wall. "The medium sized one please. Oh, and one small one too."

Luke whispered in Kris's ear, "Why are you buying two boxes of chocolates?"

"I have to buy a Valentine's gift for my mom." Kris stated.

"Oh man," Luke teased, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I heard she's banging your dad."

Kris gave Luke a bizarre look, then a sparkling smile. "Clever Luke." he shook with silent laughter.

The man reached under the counter, took out the two boxes, and began to fill it with the chocolates Kris named off. When he rang up the total, Kris tried to keep his composure as he counted his money and handed it over to the salesman.

Luke opened the door after Kris made his purchase and followed him outside.

"Fuck me running!" Kris said, astonished. "Did you hear how much that was?!"

"It's homemade, you're paying for quality. Besides, do you want to put a price on Taylor's happiness? And anyway," Luke laughed. "your parents gave you that money! So? Where to next?" he asked as he unlocked the car doors.

"Home. I don't want this to melt. Can I put it in the loft so Taylor won't see it?" Kris asked.

"Sure." Luke started the car. "What do you and Taylor have planned anyway- for tomorrow that is."

"We made plans to meet my parents. He wants to take them out for brunch. After that, I don't know. What about you and Noah?" Kris asked, looking at Luke.

"I'm not sure either. I guess it'll be a surprise." Luke answered, wondering what Noah had planned. Then he thought, _'What if Noah thinks I'm planning something like I'm assuming he's planning something. Uh-Oh, this could be bad.'_

"So? Is it settled?" Noah asked Taylor. They'd agreed to meet for lunch at the food court in the mall to go over their plans for tomorrow.

"Yes, I'm taking Kris out and you and Luke can have the townhouse the whole night."

Taylor nodded. He stabbed a mushroom out of his salad and ate it. "Dinner is set too. The neighbor is hiding has all the food we bought for dinner at her house. Are you sure you don't want to be alone with Luke?"

"I'll have all night to be alone with him. Besides, it will still be a romantic dinner at home. Candles and wine and a home cooked meal for the four of us." Noah smiled, eating a bite of chicken from his plate of chicken fried rice. "I wonder if Kris and Luke are planning anything."

"I told Kris not to. I don't know about Luke, he might. You should find out in case there's a conflict." Taylor said before taking another bite off his fork.

"Can you call him?" Noah asked expectantly. "Please Taylor? I don't want him to think I'm snooping."

"Sure." Taylor took his phone out of his pocket and called Luke's cell phone. He looked at Noah with a smile as the phone rang in his ear. He drummed his fingers on the table, waiting.

"Hello?" Luke answered.

"Hi. It's Taylor."

"I know." Luke laughed as he glanced at Kris. "Do you want to talk to Kris?"

"Nope. Actually, I wanted to talk to you." Taylor looked at Noah and smiled again. Noah listened to Taylor while he waited anxiously.

"Is that Taylor?" Kris whispered to Luke. Luke nodded at Kris and said, "He wants to talk to me though."

"Oh." Kris said, looking down at his lap.

"Tell Kris 'hi and I love him'." Taylor said to Luke after hearing Kris in the background.

Luke looked at Kris and touched his arm. Kris looked up with hope.

"Hi, I love you." Luke said with a sexy smile. When he saw Kris's expression he laughed.

"Luke." Taylor chuckled. "Tell him."

"Alright." Luke said into the phone. To Kris he said, "Taylor says hi and that he loves you."

"You asshole." Kris smiled at Luke. "Tell him.... no, let me." he reached for Luke's phone and Luke willingly gave it to Kris.

"Hi Taylor."

"Hi kiddo." Taylor smiled and held up his index finger to Noah. "Just wait." he mouthed at him.

"I love you too. What are you doing?" Kris asked Taylor.

"Having lunch. Listen. My time is almost up. Let me talk to Luke, please." Taylor said.

"Ok." Kris handed the phone back to Luke.

"Yea?" Luke asked Taylor.

"What are you planning for tomorrow? Are you going to do anything special with Noah?" Taylor asked while looking at Noah. Noah held his breath and laced his fingers together nervously.

"What's tomorrow?" Luke teased.

Kris slapped Luke's leg and gave him a wry look.

"Ok," Luke said to Taylor. "I don't have anything planned. I bought Noah something yummy and a small gift. I thought we'd spend a night in. What about you?" he asked curiously.

"Not telling." Taylor answered.

"Dick! Why do you want to know what I'm doing, anyway?" Luke asked.

"So I can plan Kris's and my night. Thanks for the information. See you later."

"Bye." Luke stuck his tongue out at the phone and hung up. He looked at Kris and said, "Taylor is a sneaky bastard."

Kris waved his hand and made a noise, "Pfft. I know that already. What did he want anyway?"

"To know if I planned anything with Noah." Luke replied.

Taylor tucked his phone away and said to Noah, "He doesn't have anything planned. He's in a really good mood..... either that or he's been hitting the bottle." Taylor laughed.

Noah laughed too. "That's good, because I have some news for him."

Taylor raised his eyebrows as his blue eyes enlarged. "Oh no!"

"It's good news.... at least I think it is. Maybe he won't think it is? Hm, I better wait until after the holiday to tell him. I don't want to ruin Valentine's Day for him."

"Something tells me you don't want to ruin Valentine's Day for yourself. You want nookie and if you tell him, he may hold out on you." Taylor smirked.

Noah scratched the back of his head. "Yea... ok you're right. So I'm selfish. Sue me."

Taylor laughed and pointed his fork at Noah. "Is that all you think about? Sex? Luke is more than just a cock to you.... I hope." Taylor smiled before using his teeth to pull a piece of ham off the end of the plastic fork.

"Of course!" Noah said, slightly offended by Taylor's statement.

"Relax. I didn't mean it how it sounded. Well, actually.... yea I did." Taylor said, setting his fork down and wiping his mouth. "What I mean is YES, you should tell him tonight whatever it is that you're hiding. Jesus Noah, you'd think you would know this already. Luke hates secrets. Did you catch a case of the stupid or what?" he threw his napkin on his tray and stared at Noah's face before asking, "Well?"

Noah shrugged and answered, "You're right. This isn't a bad thing anyway. It's not about Zachary or any other guy. It's just.... I know what he's going to say and I know that I want this. We're going to be at odds again. I hate fighting, arguing and all that shit with him." Noah rolled his eyes, discouraged because he knew Taylor was right, but still, Noah wanted to wait to tell Luke.

"If it's not bad like you say, he just might surprise you." Taylor said as he got up. "I have to leave, but think about it because hiding things from someone you love does not bode well for an honest and trustworthy relationship." He picked up his tray and walked away.

Noah lost his appetite. He also picked his tray up and dumped his food in the trash at the food court. He drove back to work thinking of a way to encourage Luke to pose for the magazine.

Noah arrived home from work and immediately walked into the kitchen without a word to Kris or Taylor, who were sitting on the couch watching tv.

He saw Luke standing in front of the fridge with the door open, looking inside. "Luke, come upstairs with me. I want to ask you something very important." Noah said, rushing his words. The faster he talked, the faster he could be done with this, or so he thought.

Luke's heart pitter-pattered. _'He's so nervous. What is he going to ask me? Oh My God! This has to be it, right? It would be sneaky that's for sure. He thinks he can catch me off guard and ask me to marry him the day before Valentine's Day instead of on the actual day!'_

Luke followed Noah up the stairs, jokingly poking Noah in the ass. Taylor and Kris turned around on the couch and watched Luke and Noah go upstairs before they faced each other again.

"Give me a hot, sensual kiss." Taylor requested in a breathy whisper. Of course, Kris complied- greedily overtaking Taylor's mouth with his tongue.

Upstairs, Noah closed the door and turned to Luke, who was acting spirited, excitable and high strung.

Noah wondered, _'Has Luke been drinking or did Taylor warn Luke that I had to talk to him about something 'iffy'? Maybe Mrs. Connor called him and asked him to pose already. He's acting like he's full of energy.'_

"Luke-"

"YES!" Luke yelled and ran to Noah, crashing into him. He kissed Noah exuberantly while hooking his arms around Noah's neck.

"Mmm-- mmm--" Noah tried to break away, but Luke held Noah's head in place. Noah relaxed his body and kissed Luke back without restraint. His heart was beating erratically because of Luke's kiss, especially when Luke's mouth parted and his tongue emerged slowly to lick his lips. Noah sighed with the sad thought of breaking the kiss to talk to Luke, but he had to. Like Taylor said, he had to tell Luke before things went any further.

Noah moaned into Luke's mouth, then came to his senses again. He put his hands on Luke's shoulders and gently backed a half step away. "I have to talk to you."

"Ok!" Luke said in a bubbly, happy voice.

Noah looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Have you been drinking today?"

Luke laughed like that was the funniest thing Noah had ever said. "No! I'm just really, really happy right now. Aren't you?" Luke asked, cocking his head to one side with a grin.

"Yes. I am very happy. I love you." Noah smiled back.

"I love you Noah Mayer!" Luke took a step towards Noah with his arms raised to hug him again.

"Wait." Noah said, placing a hand on Luke's chest to stop him. "I need to talk to you first."

"What's to talk about? A date? We can decide later." Luke beamed.

Noah had no idea what Luke was talking about, but he needed to say what he was going to say first. "Can I speak first, then you can talk about dates."

"Ok." Luke nodded, grabbed Noah's hand and led him to the bed. "Sit." he said, pointing at the headboard.

Noah sat on the bed and propped himself against the headboard. Luke crawled up from the bottom of the bed and sat between Noah's legs, his head resting on his boyfriend's chest. "Go ahead Noah." he said excitedly.

Noah inhaled, thinking of an easy way to say this. "I'm just going to come out with it." Noah muttered aloud as he ran his fingers through Luke's hair. It was so soft and light that he almost didn't want to say anything because he feared that when he did, Luke would sit up and his fingers would be empty.

"Well?" Luke giggled. _'He's nervous! I already said yes, what does he have to be afraid of?'_

Luke looked up at Noah and smiled. His eyes were large round pools of brown and green as he spoke lovingly, "Noah, I do love you. You know that, right? You're the only man I want, forever. So... just say it."

"Ok." Noah breathed. "Mrs. Connor, my boss-"

_'What does she have to do with our engagement? Oh! Maybe he wants to tell me that she'll pay one of her professional photographers to take pictures at our wedding!!'_

"- really liked the pictures I took of you a while back. She wants me to ask you to pose again for an upcoming ad. I know you said never again, but this contract is with one of our best clients and she thinks your well suited for this. What do you say?"

Luke opened his mouth but all that came out was, "Uhhh---" He was so taken aback that he couldn't think straight.

"I'll let you think about it, but I'd really like you to do it, for me. Please consider it ok?" Noah said, rubbing Luke's back.

Luke used his arm to push himself off Noah. He sat up, not able to face his boyfriend.

"So, what were you talking about setting a date? Is it for tomorrow night because to tell you the truth, I already have something planned. I hope you can cancel the plans you made for us." Noah massaged Luke's shoulders and kissed the back of his neck.

"I- I- yes. I can change my plans." Luke said in a deflated tone of voice. _'It's not his fault I jumped to conclusions. It's mine. I shouldn't feel let down and disappointed. God I can't believe I almost made a fool out of myself.'_

"Great!" Noah said sounding upbeat. "Lets finish making supper. What was it you were cooking anyway?"

Luke chewed on his lip, wondering where he got the idea that Noah was going to propose.

"Luke?" Noah shook Luke's shoulders. "Luke."

"Hm? Oh yea, um," Luke shook his head. "What?"

"Supper?" Noah laughed at Luke's confused looking face. "Where were you? You're a billion miles away."

"Yea." Luke said with a fake laugh and rose off the bed. "I better finish supper." he said as he left the room.

Noah rubbed his chin, watching Luke leave. He stood up and walked to the top of the stairs. "Oh Luke! Think about what I proposed!" he called down to his boyfriend.

Luke almost lost his balance by faltering his step when Noah said 'that' word- 'propose'. He rolled his eyes, cursed his presumptions and his overactive imagination before entering the kitchen to prepare dinner.


	33. Chapter 33

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 33

SUMMARY: Valentine's day. Luke is still a little upset about last night when he assumed that Noah was going to propose. (he brooded the rest of the night as you'll read) The couples spend their day in special ways. No sex, sorry.

WARNING: Out of Character

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

My mistakes, my editing. 

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"Wake up sleepyhead." A well placed kiss from Noah's soft lips was planted on Luke's temple.

"Nooo..." Luke rolled onto his stomach with a long, deep groan.

Noah laid several kisses on Luke's sun kissed shoulder while his fingers traced the bumps on Luke's backbone- all the way down to the swell of his butt. His finger delved between Luke's ass crack as he continued to kiss Luke's shoulder and shoulder blade.

Luke let out a subtle moan. "Noah, sto-"

Noah cut Luke off and whispered huskily in his ear, "Happy Valentine's Day my handsome valentine." then he pressed a fingertip against Luke's entrance.

Luke grunted and raised his ass because it felt so damn good, but somehow he found the willpower to deny Noah. He reached behind and pulled Noah's hand away before he rolled over onto his back. He quickly covered his throbbing erection with the sheet and received a look of confusion from Noah.

"Did I do something?" Noah asked, astonished that Luke didn't want to make love and that he had covered his naked body. "What is going on?" he asked, concerned about Luke's odd behavior.

"Nothing. I don't feel like it this morning. I'm going to take a shower." Luke said, sitting up.

Noah grinned. "Great! I'll join you. If you wanted shower sex, all you had to do was ask."

"No." Luke put up his hand. "I'd rather be alone. I just.... I want.... just... I need to, ok? It's nothing against you."

Noah nodded slowly, knowing that Luke was lying. "Do you want to break up with me?"

Luke's voice was high pitched when he answered, "What? No! What gave you that idea?"

Noah sighed. He rose off the bed wearing just his briefs and faced Luke to confront him. He stated stiffly, "Well one, you didn't want to have sex. Two, you want to shower alone. Three, you've been acting weird since supper last night. Four, it's like you can't stand to be around me. Five, last night you went to bed at nine, Luke, and you told me you didn't want me to come to bed with you." Noah thought for a moment, then snapped, "If this is about the photo shoot, I'm sorry. Mrs. Connor wanted me to ask you. I'll tell her you said no." Noah hated being temperamental, but what Luke was doing to him was mean because he wasn't being honest. His boyfriend was distancing himself and Noah hated the feeling of insecurity that accompanied Luke's actions.

"No, it's not about the shoot." Luke got up and chose clean clothes to wear.  
"I've been thinking about us. Like, where are we going with our relationship? Are you ok with where we're at or..." Luke didn't finish. He didn't really know how he intended to finish that sentence. He left it hanging for Noah's own interpretation.

"I love you and our relationship." Noah answered as he watched Luke approach the bed- his manhood swaying got Noah distracted. "Jeeesuuus...." he whispered without realizing it. Luke sat on the bed, facing Noah and asked, "So this is it." He gazed at Noah's face. "You're content with where we are? Do you think we're on the same page?"

"Yes. Of course." Noah answered, staring at Luke's chest. He wanted to touch it, kiss it, lick it- "Are you not on the same page as I am? Is that what this is about?" he asked, raising his gaze to meet Luke's eyes. He saw the answer in them and frowned.

Luke ducked his head. Confirming Noah's suspicions, he mumbled, "No, I'm not on the same page."

"What do you want? I mean we're friends, lovers, boyfriends, monogamous, living together..." Noah's voice drifted off. He closed his eyes when he finally realized what Luke was saying.

Noah shook his head. "It's too soon. I don't... I can't...." he said lamely, knowing how he sounded. The truth was, was that he was happy, very happy, with the way things were with Luke. He didn't want to rush into marriage. He wasn't ready, at least, he didn't think so.

"I uh, I'm going to shower." Luke pointed to the bathroom. His bottom lip trembled so he pressed his lips together. He knew he shouldn't have expected Noah to be receptive to the idea. They hadn't been dating 'that' long. Luke entered the bathroom and closed and locked the door with the intention of taking a long, hot, cleansing shower- not just for his body, but for his mind as well.

_'Why! Why did I have to bring up our relationship on this of ALL days? Now any romantic moods, gifts, and moments we would have spent together are lost. He'll be thinking about me thinking about getting married! I should have kept my big, freaking mouth shut!'_

Noah took out a pair of jeans, underwear and a button down, red shirt to wear. Expecting that Luke was going to be in the bathroom for quite a while, he went downstairs. He listened at Taylor's door for voices or movement coming from inside, but it was quiet. Assuming his roommates were still asleep, he didn't bother to ask if he could use their bathroom. He entered the bathroom and stripped, then got into the shower and let the stream of warm water cascade down his muscular, lean body.

~~**~~

Taylor yawned and stretched about as well as he could with Kris's hand across his waist and a leg tangled with his own. He turned and looked at Kris's peaceful face. He had long dark eyelashes and his hair was a mess, but he was still adorable in Taylor's eyes. Kris's heated breath was expelled slowly and evenly, hitting Taylor's face as soft as a caress. He gently kissed Kris's eyelid and saw him stir, barely. Taylor smiled and kissed Kris's nose.

Kris sighed heavily, but didn't wake up. Taylor watched Kris lick his lips, then murmur something intelligible as he tightened the grip on Taylor's body. Taylor put his hand over Kris's hand before he rested the side of his head against Kris's forehead and closed his eyes. He thought about Kris and their relationship. Kris had come a long way. He was getting on track by going to college and maturing little by little. He still had episodes of bullheadedness and childishness, but Taylor could control him with a few harsh words. Then he thought about Cassandra and the baby. He wondered if Kris and he would have a boy or a girl, he wondered if Kris cared either way, and he also thought that raising a child together would bring them closer than ever.

_'Names! We have to pick out names!'_ Taylor's eyes flew open. He grinned with the anticipation of choosing names for the baby. It would be fun, he thought, trying to come up with names that he and Kris could agree on.

_'Is it too early? No, I'm really excited about this. This will be so awesome! Kris and I can go to the __bookstore, buy a baby name book, sit down, and read it Yea! That's what I want to do this morning. Shit, what time is it?'_ Taylor checked his alarm clock and let out a relieved breath. _'Good! We don't have to meet Ron and Crystal for another two hours.'_

In a state of complete bliss, Taylor lightly stroked Kris's cheek, waking the blond. Kris smiled and opened his big, blue eyes to see Taylor gazing at him with a look of love in his eyes.

"Hi." Kris said with a blush because he was sure Taylor had been staring at him while he was asleep.

"Shower and get dressed." Taylor said, running his finger along Kris's jaw. "Better shave too. We don't want mom and pops to think you rose out of bed without a care as to how you look when we go out for brunch."

"Ok, but it's still early, isn't it?" Kris said, unwrapping his body from Taylor's.

"I want to hit the bookstore before we meet your parents, if that's ok with you?"

"Sure." Kris replied, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He rose from the bed and gathered his clothes and walked to the bathroom in his blue underwear.

With a smile, Taylor watched the way Kris's ass bounced while he was walking out of the bedroom, then Taylor rose out of bed too.

~~**~~

Luke finished his shower, shaved, then dressed in dark colored jeans and a light-purple, colored shirt. He fixed his hair wondering why he was getting ready. Because of his and Noah's fight, it seemed unlikely that they would do something today if they weren't on speaking terms. Exiting the bathroom, he decided to apologize to Noah. It wasn't really fair to expect Noah to feel the same way as he did. _'I'll let it go. Maybe someday we'll be married. Maybe. Maybe Noah doesn't believe in marriage? I guess I can be content knowing he's all mine and that he won't leave me- married or not.'_

Luke walked downstairs and spied Noah sitting in the living room. He walked around the couch and faced Noah with an apologetic look on his face.

Luke spoke with a sorrowful voice, "I'm sorry about the way I acted and my behavior was atrocious. I respect you and your thoughts and opinions. I didn't mean to force mine on you. I hope you can forgive me for not listening to you and that you can forgive me when I think that I'm always right. I'm not and I know that. I'm so sorry Noah. I didn't mean to ruin Valentine's Day." Luke knelt on the floor and took Noah's hands in his own. He squeezed them while he waited for Noah to reply.

"I'm sorry too." Noah stated, pulling Luke into his lap. "My reaction was horrid. I didn't mean to make you feel bad Luke. I'm just not ready- and, I don't know if I ever will be. That's not saying I don't love you or that I don't want to be with you. Marriage is a huge thing to me and I don't take it lightly."

"I understand." Luke was still disappointed, but he was determined not to let this ruin his day or his relationship. "What's on the schedule for today?"

Noah's grin was a sneaky one, full of secrets. "You'll have to wait and see." he said in a sexy, appealing voice with fire in his eyes.

"I know that look. What are we going to do besides have sex Noah?" Luke laughed, his eyes shining brightly.

Noah kissed Luke deeply, full of passion and sexual desire.

~~**~~

Taylor had taken his shower after Kris had. He finished up by putting his belt on. Kris knocked, then opened the door to the bathroom. He whistled and said, "Wow, you clean up really good! Can't we stay here and go to the bookstore after brunch? I'd like to get you out of those clothes."

"No my horny, young, beautiful boy." Taylor walked forward and planted an enticing kiss on Kris's lips. He murmured on them, "We are going to look at baby names. Doesn't that sound fun? Naming our baby on Valentine's Day."

Kris couldn't hide his smile. "It does. Let's go."

They walked passed Luke and Noah making out on the couch. "See you two later." Taylor said, winking at Noah.

"Have a good time." Luke waved before his attention was diverted to Noah's mouth again.

~~**~~

Taylor bought a book and settled next to Kris on the love seat in the bookstore. Kris had bought them each a coffee and sipped it as Taylor leafed through the pages.

"There are some weird names in here." he commented. "Do you want to look for a boy's name or a girl's name first?"

Kris answered eagerly, "Boys first." He set his coffee down and leaned on Taylor to look in the book.

"That one is cool." Kris said pointing at the name 'Caleb'.

"Eh, I don't know." Taylor dismissed the name by turning the page. "Do you want the baby to have an older name like Frank or William?"

"No!" Kris looked at Taylor with a stunned look. "I want something recent, but not popular. Oh, that one? How do you pronounce it?"

"If we can't pronounce the name, it's out. Chances are no one else will be able to pronounce it either. Do you want people saying "Hey kid." to our child because they don't know how to say his... or her name?" Taylor chuckled and turned the page. "I like this one. Miles."

"EW! No way." Kris made a face. "I knew a Miles, he teased me in high school. Gimme that book."

Taylor handed it over before picking up his coffee and taking a sip. He sat back and watched Kris flip through the book.

"Ah-Ha! Here's on I really like. Dakota." he looked at Taylor for approval.

"That's nice." Taylor agreed. "Let's pick out a few more, then we're doing girls."

After much deliberation, Taylor and Kris finally chose names for both sexes. For boys, it was Dakota, Walker, and Jackson. For girls, they agreed on, Alexis and Cheyenne- and Taylor let Kris keep the name 'Kailey' even though he was indifferent to the name.

~~**~~

"We're going where?" Luke asked, looking at Noah with astonishment. Noah was driving his truck, smiling at the sound of Luke's emotionally packed, shocked and surprised voice.

"Yup. To the Zoo." Noah grinned.

"What's romantic about the zoo? It smells like poo." Luke wrinkled his nose. "Or are we going to see the love birds? That's sort of romantic, but that liquid bird doo-doo smells too."

Noah glanced at Luke. "You mean shit."

"Poop. Same difference." Luke shrugged. He put is hand on Noah's thigh as they rode the rest of the way to the zoo.

~~**~~

Taylor parked at the designated restaurant and turned to Kris. "Ready?"

Kris gave Taylor a heartwarming smile and nodded. He reached down and picked up the small heart shaped box of chocolates he bought yesterday for his mom.

After entering the restaurant and telling the hostess about their reservations for four, they were seated at a table with fragrant red roses in a vase, a red tablecloth and red cloth napkins.

"May I start you gentlemen off with a drink?" their waiter asked as he set four glasses of ice water on the table.

"Rum and coke." Taylor said, glancing at the waiter- meeting his cinnamon colored eyes. He quickly looked away, but not before the waiter recognized him.

"I'd like the same." Kris said, noticing the waiter staring fondly at Taylor.

The waiter was too busy gazing at Taylor with something like love and didn't hear Kris.

"Ahem!" Kris said loudly. "I'll have the same please." he glared at the dark haired waiter.

"I'll need to see some I.D." The waiter said in a faraway voice without a glance towards Kris's way. "Taylor, how have you been?! It's been ages." he said, putting a hand on Taylor's shoulder.

Taylor replied, "He's of age." then glanced at Kris.

Kris was obviously curious, but more than that, he was getting jealous. He wanted to stab the hand on Taylor's shoulder with his fork.

Taylor twisted his body to look at the waiter and said, "Hi Gavin. I'm great, you?"

"Pretty good." Gavin nodded. "I moved back here a few months ago and took a job with the Bank of America, but with the economy as it is, I had to take this job on weekends."

"Tell me about it." Taylor agreed. "Gavin, this is Kris. Kris this is Gavin."

"Oh, the guy you dated in college?" Kris asked Taylor, but kept his untrusting gaze on Gavin.

"That's right." Gavin chuckled. Assuming Kris was just a friend because he wasn't introduced as anything else, he asked, "You told him huh? Did you tell him about the time we-"

"Uh, no." Taylor frowned and shook his head at Gavin so he would shut up. "I didn't tell him anything and actually, Drew told him we dated."

Gavin pretended to zip his lip and smiled at Taylor. "So," he looked at Kris, then back to Taylor. "we should get together and catch up. I'd love to hear about everyone and how they're doing. You can tell me everything."

"Everyone is great. You could always call them up." Taylor suggested, looking up at Gavin with a smile.

"Yea, I could, but I'd really like to talk to you. I really missed you. I can't believe we didn't keep in touch, but the way we left things, it would have been too painful." Gavin said, looking admiringly at Taylor. "You look great. You always did."

"Thanks." Taylor said in a formal way. "You look the same too."

Kris stared at Gavin's good looks with envy. Was Taylor still attracted to him? And why hadn't Taylor introduced him as his fiancé?

"I'll be right back with your drinks." Gavin smiled, patting Taylor on the shoulder, then gripped it lightly before he left.

Kris huffed heavily and glowered at Taylor.

"Kris-"

"I don't want to hear it." Kris mumbled angrily.

"I want to explain before your parents get here." Taylor reached out and placed his hand atop of Kris's. "You know I used to date Gavin. We were very close and very serious. We even talked about getting married. We didn't because he wanted to leave California and I didn't. We went our separate ways."

"I already know this Taylor. What I can't figure out is why you didn't tell him about us." Kris pulled his hand away and crossed his arms.

Taylor hemmed and hawed over the answer to that question.

"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me? Is that it? Or would you rather appear to be single?" Kris asked, his mood darkened the more hurt he felt.

"No. I didn't tell him because.... I will when he comes back." Taylor said with the hopes of pacifying Kris.

"You're still attracted to him." Kris accused in a tiny voice. "You want to get together with him, right?"

"I would just like to catch up. Like I said, we were close- the best of friends and boyfriends."

"Then tell him you'll meet with him. I don't care." Kris stated. "I don't want to hold you back."

"You don't care?" Taylor asked, doubting Kris because his fiancé was usually so jealous of anyone giving him a second look.

"I care, but I don't want to keep you from doing something you want to do. I guess I'm saying, I trust you." Kris said, trying to smile, but it came off looking forced.

"I love you Kris and all I want to do is talk with him. I swear." Taylor said, his heart full of love for Kris. It was a shock to see Gavin, who used to be the love of his life, but he could handle himself.

"Then it's settled." Kris was about to pick up his glass of ice water when Gavin returned with their drinks.

"Here's your drink, Taylor, and here's yours um-" Gavin fought to remember while placing the drink in front of Kris. ".... Kris?"

"Yes." Kris said, picking up that glass instead of the water. He looked away as Taylor and Gavin exchanged phone numbers.

"One more thing Gavin. Kris is my fiancé." Taylor smiled at Gavin, then at Kris.

"Oh. Well..... I guess.... congratulations." Gavin said, sounding heartbroken before he walked away.

"He sounded like he lost his best friend." Kris noted with a small amount of fear that he may lose Taylor. "I think he thought he still had a chance with you."

Taylor shrugged one shoulder. "I don't think so." he lied. He heard it in Gavin's voice too. "Hey!" Taylor said in an upbeat way with the intention of cheering Kris up. "I have something great planned tonight." he wiggled his eyebrows.

Kris smiled close mouthed. It was a small smile, but he appreciated Taylor's thoughtfulness and tact in trying to get Gavin's intentions off his mind.

"What is it?" Kris asked with interest.

"You'll have to wait sweetheart, but I promise, it'll be worth the wait." Taylor replied.

~~**~~

After walking around hand in hand on the Big Cat Trail at the zoo, Noah led Luke to a food vendor and ordered hot dogs, chips, a bag of cotton candy and a bottled water to share. They walked a short way into the woods to a picnic area and sat next to each other at a picnic table.

"Here," Noah said, handing over the bag of blue and pink cotton candy. "I got it for you because you're so sweet." he laughed.

"Are you trying to say, 'Will You Be My Valentine'?" Luke smiled at Noah.

"No. I already know I'm your valentine and your stud, your lover and sexy boyfriend." Noah teased.

Luke rolled his eyes in fun. "You forgot hung like a horse."

"Mm, that too." Noah nudged Luke before he kissed his ketchup and hot dog flavored mouth.

"I love you Noah." Luke said, drawing away from Noah's delicious lips and engaging kiss. He picked up a napkin and wiped Noah's mouth, then his own.

"I love you too Luke. More than you'll ever know." Noah ducked his head. "I want us to be together for a long, long time. I'm committed to you and I'll always be here for you- whenever and wherever you need me."

Luke's eyes lit up when Noah finally glanced at him. Luke pulled Noah's head back into position and kissed him, circling the tip of his tongue inside Noah's mouth- setting them both on fire.

~~**~~

Back at the restaurant, Kris had handed the gift to his mother before she sat down in her chair.

"Thank you Kris!" she grinned and kissed his cheek after hugging him. "Happy Valentine's to you as well. I'm glad you and Taylor worked things out." Crystal said as she sat on the other side of her son.

Ron, Crystal, Taylor and Kris ordered their food and were chatting while they waited for their entree's to arrive

She patted Kris's hand and asked, "How are you boys doing?"

"We're fine mom." He answered soberly as he quickly stole a glance at Taylor, who smiled at him.

Crystal picked up on her son's mood and questioned Taylor with her eyes. Taylor gave her a short shake of the head. "We're great." he said as he wrapped his arm around Kris's shoulders.

Ron cleared his throat when he saw the movement, but he didn't object. He wanted his only son to be happy and if that was with another man, then so be it. He admitted to himself that he needed to get used to their show of affection. There was just something about watching a man, Taylor, touching Kris intimately. He made a resolution to keep his eyes on them to get accustomed to their love for each other- to get comfortable around them. He looked at Taylor. He was an attractive man and smart too, according to Kris. He decided to talk to him since he was going to be his son-in-law.

"Taylor." Ron said quietly. "How is work going for you?"

Taylor grinned and answered, "It's going excellent sir. Thanks for asking."

"You may as well call me Ron." he said.

"Taylor calls you pops at home." Kris blurted out. His eyes widened and his face burned like it was on fire.

The rest of the table laughed at Kris's red face and his blunder.

Ron shrugged indifferently and said, "I guess that's alright too."

Kris's beamed at Taylor. He leaned over and said proudly, "Hear that?" Kris was ecstatic because Taylor didn't have anyone to call pops or dad.

"Yea, I did." Taylor smirked. He loved that Kris was so excited for him. Kris had an energy about him and his enthusiasm was refreshing.

Gavin returned with another waiter carrying a large tray covered with plates of food. Gavin set lobster and steak in their respective places and asked the guests if they would like refills on their drinks.

Taylor addressed Gavin and asked for a bottle of champagne for the four of them.

Gavin gazed at Taylor and nodded. "Sure Taylor." he drawled, then smiled with a glint in his eye.

Taylor turned back to the table, catching Kris's expression. He reached under the table and rubbed Kris's leg. "It's alright." he whispered. "Trust me."

"I do." Kris whispered back, then giggled.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"I do." Kris said and giggled again. "I said, 'I do'. You know, like what we're going to say to each other someday."

"You're too cute." Taylor laughed.

"Taylor! Not cute.... again?!"

"Adorable?" Taylor patted Kris's leg, then rubbed it again.

"Ok." Kris said with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Adorable is acceptable."

Crystal smiled at Ron. "They're perfect together, aren't they?"

Ron nodded as he watched the exchange between Taylor and his son. He could see how much Taylor was in love with his son by his smile and the look in his eyes when he gazed at Kris. "They're well suited to each other." Ron agreed, getting the attention of his son.

"Thanks dad." Kris said with a blush. It was the first compliment his father had made to him regarding his being gay.

Gavin came back and removed the cork from the champagne bottle, then he poured the dry flavored liquid into fluted crystal glasses. He left the bottle in the ice bucket next to the table. "Enjoy." he said happily and left.

Everyone raised their glasses. "Happy Valentine's day Crystal and Ron. Thank you for coming." Taylor said sweetly, about to take a sip.

"WAIT!" Kris yelled, astonishing everyone around the table and a few couples at the tables next to them. He whispered into Taylor's ear for a few moments while his parents looked at each other and shrugged.

After Taylor nodded his agreement, the tip of Kris's tongue slipped out and quickly licked Taylor's ear before anyone saw him do it. He whispered, "Ok, here I go."

Kris stood up with his glass of champagne and looked at his mom, then his dad before smiling shyly. "Taylor and I have some news. Good news."

"You've set a date?" Crystal clapped excitedly.

Freezing up, Kris hurriedly looked at Taylor for help.

Taylor immediately spoke up when he saw Kris's face. "No, not yet. But I promise, you'll be the first to know once we do." he smiled charmingly with a wink at Crystal. "Go ahead Kris. Tell them." he said to his fiancé.

"Mom, dad.... Taylor and I are going to be parents." Kris said bashfully. "You're going to be grandparents in September." he added, then sat down with his eyes on his plate, waiting for the barrage of questions his mother would be throwing at him.

"Well..." Ron said. Initially he was in shock and the color had drained out of his face, but now that he'd assessed the situation, he raised his glass and said, "Here, here." and put his glass in the middle. Taylor and Kris clinked their glasses with his and took a sip, but Crystal was dabbing her eyes.

"I never thought.... I didn't think we'd ever... Oh Kris and Taylor! You have made me the happiest person in this room!" She stood up, pulled her son up and hugged him tightly. "You're going to be a dad! My baby is going to be a dad! The most wonderful dad there is!" After Kris sat down, Crystal made Taylor stand up and give her a hug too.

Kris chuckled. "Not as good of a father as dad is to me." he said, looking at Ron.

"Aw, you don't have to go on about that. You'll be a fine father. Taylor will too, I'm sure." Ron nodded at Taylor. He was slowly warming up to the idea of having a grandchild. He could teach him or her how to fish, take him or her for a ride on the lawnmower.... there was so much he wanted to do, things he hadn't really done with Kris. Now he had a second chance.

"Thank you sir, I'm sure you'll be a fine grandfa-" Taylor left the end of the sentence hanging when Gavin came back to the table with clarified butter for the lobster. Taylor's and Gavin's eyes met- filling with nostalgia. Taylor picked up his glass and in one gulp, finished the rest of his champagne.

~~**~~

*******The next Chapter will include flashbacks to this day.** *****


	34. Chapter 34

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 34

RATED: PG-13+ to be safe

SUMMARY: Basically, just fluff. Setting is on Sunday, the day after Valentine's Day.

WARNING: Some language and sexual innuendos and situations

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

My mistakes and editing. 

Luke woke up very early. He could feel Noah's body cuddled up to his back and Noah's breath on his neck. He smiled, recalling last night--- Noah and Taylor had surprised Kris and him by making supper. Later, Kris and Taylor left, leaving Luke and Noah alone. They left the dishes for tomorrow and ran to the loft---

"Open my gift first!" Luke said, handing Noah a present.

Noah tore into it and laughed. "A red thong with white hearts all over it? How thoughtful of you! Open mine." he took a gift out from under the bed and gave it to Luke.

Luke excitedly ripped open the paper and laughed too. "A white thong with candy hearts printed on it. Hm, this one says, 'Be Mine' and this one says, 'Kiss Me'. Oooh, it's strategically placed on the crotch too." he giggled. "I have a box of chocolates for you and one more gift." Luke said, walking to their closet. "Close your eyes and no peeking." Luke watched to make sure Noah wasn't looking, then he fumbled in the closet until he found what he was looking for.

"Keep your gorgeous eyes closed Noah." Luke warned, "Or I'll have to spank that delicious ass of yours."

That sounded intriguing to Noah, so he promptly opened his eyes to see Luke holding a box.

"I told you to keep your eyes closed you brat." Luke faked a pout. "Whatever, here you go." he laughed as excitement filled his eyes.

"You can still spank me." Noah said in a husky voice.

"Hm..." Luke studied Noah's body as he walked around the tall, dark haired handsome man. "I wouldn't want to mar perfection." he grinned as he raised himself up on his tip toes and kissed Noah's mouth. "Open it." he whispered.

Noah opened his mouth, prompting Luke to laugh out loudly. "Not your mouth you goof! The gift in your hands."

"I knew that. I just like to hear your laughter." Noah chuckled before he opened the gift.

Luke sat on the bed and watched Noah expectantly, waiting for his reaction.

"Oh... Oh... Holy shit Luke!" Noah looked up with an astonished look on his face. He looked back down and opened the hardcover book, stopping on the dedication page. He read aloud,

"To Noah,  
My strength, my weakness, my world.  
I love you.  
Forever yours,  
Luke"

He closed the book, 'Behaving Badly' and rushed Luke. He toppled on top of him as he set the book on the bed and proceeded to kiss Luke all over his face, neck and chest. "You got it published! Thank you! I love it!"

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, propping himself on his elbows. "You once called me a perverted sex maniac because I wrote gay porn." Luke grinned when Noah smiled at him.

"I am totally sure! I can't wait to read it! I feel so honored that you dedicated it to me." Noah cupped Luke's cheek. "But why am I your weakness?"

"Your irresistible. I'd do anything you ask of me because I cannot deny you anything. I can't control myself around you. It's like I have to be near you all the time. Shall I go on?" Luke smirked when he saw Noah's proud face.

"Really? You feel like that?" Noah caressed Luke's cheek with the back of a finger while staring into Luke's honest, devoted, big brown eyes.

"Yes Noah. I mean it." Luke replied, tilting his head to the left to kiss Noah which eventually lead to a slow build up of a session of love making lasting half the night.

=--------Taylor and Kris's Valentine's night.......

When Taylor and Kris had left the townhouse Kris asked, "Where are we going?" as he eyed the heart shaped box of chocolates sitting on the seat between them. He picked one up and fed Taylor.

"Mm... We're going..." he chewed. "North."

"Ha Ha." Kris said sarcastically. "What is our destination?"

"It's a surprise." Taylor replied. "You should have a chocolate. They're really good-creamy and utterly fattening too." he grinned at Kris. "Thanks for buying them for me."

"Your welcome. "Kris grinned. He picked one up and ate it, agreeing, "That is good! Worth every dime."

"We're coming up on the place now." Taylor said, pointing out the windshield.

Kris peered through the window and asked, "McDonald's?"

Taylor let out a loud, hearty laugh and took Kris's hand. "No! But, if you are still hungry after that meal Noah and I made for you, I'll be happy to buy you a Big Kids Meal." he teased.

"Oh yay!" Kris said sarcastically. "Only if you use your senior citizen card to get a discount."

"Smart ass." Taylor chuckled as he drove past the fast food restaurant and pulled into the parking lot of an expensive, well known hotel. "Here we are."

"You're shitting me!" Kris yelled with shock. "Here? We're staying here?" he grinned happily and enthusiastically opened the door.

Taylor answered with a nod and smiled at the way Kris was acting. He knew Kris hadn't experienced things like going out to dinner with a date, staying at a hotel or even living outside his home before he met him. Everything was new to Kris and it made Taylor happy that he was the one giving Kris the opportunity to experience such things. He felt like he was experiencing the same excitement that Kris was, seeing things for the first time through his yes through Kris's curious and energetic personality.

As Taylor exited the car, Kris ran around and met him at the driver's side. "Really Taylor? This isn't a joke?"

"I wouldn't joke about this." Taylor said, grabbing Kris's hand to lead him inside the beautiful hotel. They walked to the front desk. Taylor registered and was handed their room key while Kris's eyes grew large as he looked around. They walked to the elevator together.

"Ready?" Taylor asked Kris. He grinned at the look of awe on his fiancé's face when a band member from a famous group stepped off the elevator, nodded at them and went on his way.

"Wow!" Kris's eyes followed the guitar player until he disappeared around the corner. He looked at Taylor with his jaw on the ground. "Yes." he answered breathlessly. "Only, I didn't know to bring extra clothes."

Taylor moaned into Kris's ear, "What I'm going to be doing to you, you won't need clothes. They'll only hamper my advances." He ended with a lick on Kris's earlobe, then pressed the small of his back to urge him into the elevator.

Kris couldn't wait to get to the room. He stood in front of Taylor and pushed him against the wall of the elevator. Their lips met as their arms wrapped around each other, melting into one another. Kris's tongue searched along the seal of Taylor's mouth for a way in. Taylor parted his lips with a smile teasing his at the corners of his mouth allowing Kris access. He liked this side of Kris- the take control and just do it part of him. He felt wonderful, as if he were being seduced. It was a great change of pace for him. He felt Kris's hand pressing right above the swell of his ass. It pulled him closer so Kris could grind his erection on Taylor's groin. Taylor couldn't believe the amount of passion Kris was exuding and lavishing on him. Electric currents sizzled throughout his body. He ate it up and promised to himself to be just as attentive to Kris in their room.

Kris began to suck on the tip of Taylor's tongue and heard moans of approval from his fiancé. After hearing the 'ding' of the elevator, Kris gave Taylor one more kiss and backed away, his face was flushed and his lips swollen. They walked down the hallway, looking for their room.

In a state of sexual desire, Taylor said in a lust-filled voice, "I crave you. I want to lick every.... EVERY... spot on your body."

Kris raised his eyebrows, astonished, and asked, "You do?" Every time he looked at Taylor he had to catch his breath. He had fantasized about being in a serious relationship with someone but never like this, this was so much better than he could have dreamed. Taylor was everything to him.

"Yes. I don't want to just fuck Kris. I want to take my time, delighting in your body first. Attending to your needs, pleasing you, loving you, then we can go all out and fuck." Taylor grinned, pinching Kris's ass.

Kris's words were stuck in his throat. He was only thinking with his rock-hard cock and the words Taylor had said to him. His stomach quivered in anticipation as he watched Taylor unlock their door, then Kris was ushered into the room. He noticed that Taylor was looking at him like he was prey. He smirked and slowly backed up, eventually hitting the back of his legs on the edge of the bed. Taylor grinned devilishly and slowly pushed Kris on the bed before he descended onto Kris's body to engage him in a hungry kiss.

~~**~~  
Sunday afternoon.

"So, you'll really do it?" Noah asked Luke with admiration in his voice.

"Yes Noah." Luke said absently, immersed in a tv show. He grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.

Noah scooted over on the couch, closer to Luke, and laid his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Thank you." he whispered. "You can ride with me to work Monday morning."

"What? Monday, as in tomorrow Monday?" Luke finally looked away from the television to look at Noah. A look of disbelief accompanied the shock in the tone of his voice.

Noah sat up and nodded. "Yes, tomorrow. Is that a problem?" he asked, his eyebrows raised high.

Luke scratched the back of his neck and grimaced because he was having second thoughts. "No, I guess not." he answered, yet feeling like he was trapped now. " I didn't think it would be so soon. Do I look good enough to have my picture taken tomorrow?"

Noah smiled. Luke was so cute when he was worried. "You look excellent." he assured Luke.

"Ok, if you say so. You are the photographer after all." Luke stated, but was still very unsure. Did Noah's boss need a prescription for new glasses? What did she see in him and what did Noah see in him also, for that matter, that he couldn't see in himself. He thought he was just an average looking person.

Noah put his arm around Luke's shoulders. He saw how nervous Luke was and wanted to put him at ease. "Don't worry. I'll be there with you. Just take my direction and you'll do superb. I guarantee it."

"I trust you Noah, but I'm still nervous. I usually like a few days to work myself up to something big and I didn't get to this time." Luke confessed with fear in his eyes.

"I told you before." Noah replied with caution. "It's ok."

"But I didn't have time to contemplate everything throughly." Luke said as he looked at Noah's concerned face and the care in his blue eyes. "I'm sorry. Forget what I said." Luke's lips curled up, showing Noah a small smile. "As long as you're there, I have no doubt that I'll be fine."

Noah looked relieved. He kissed Luke before mentioning, "The makeup woman will be there. You're going to look amazing in makeup."

"And.... I don't amaze you now?" Luke jerked his head back to eye Noah with a playful gaze.

"You look amazing now, but makeup... ahhhh... kinda turns me on when a guy wears liner." Noah blushed with his admission. "I mean, not ALL guys of course, so don't think I'm at work scoping out males."

Luke giggled. "I know, but really Noah? Liner?"

"Yea, liner." Noah nodded as he neared Luke's face. He pulled Luke close for a kiss.

Luke smiled just as Noah kissed him. "Wait!" Luke said after a juicy, wet kiss. "What about my hair? Isn't it too long? Will they cut it?"

Noah ran his free hand through Luke's blond locks and shook his head. "No, but if they do, it would be just a trim. The hairdresser will let you know what he's doing before he does it." He smiled at Luke. "Don't let modeling go to your head now. I've had enough of the snobby attitudes that model's have to last me a lifetime."

Luke traced Noah's lips with his finger and teased, "So I can't flirt with you, touch you or proposition you at all? That sucks."

Noah chuckled. "You can do whatever you want with me. I won't complain."

"Does that apply to work tomorrow, or anytime?" Luke flirted, rubbing the palm of his hand on Noah's chest in a circular motion.

"Anytime, anywhere Luke." Noah answered very seriously with a deepened voice that was obviously affected by naughty thoughts running through his head.

"I'll keep that in mind." Luke pecked Noah on the lips and turned to the tv again.

_'He stops just like that? He flirts me up to a hard on then goes back to watching... what is this?_ Noah watched Luke become engrossed in his show. He decided to go out on the balcony to relax and get some fresh air.

Taylor walked through the front door alone several minutes later. He shucked his shoes and walked to the couch, turning his head to see what had Luke so enthralled.

"Good movie." Taylor said, sitting on the couch, then decided to lay down facing the tv. He rested his head on Luke's leg, the one closest to him and closed his eyes. "So tired." he murmured.

Luke looked down and played with Taylor's hair. "Where's Kris?"

"He dropped me off and went to get something for he and I to eat. Don't ask what it is, because I don't know." Taylor said with a yawn.

"You must have had a very eventful night." Luke said, curling strands of Taylor's hair around his finger. He smirked after he saw Taylor's eyes fly open in response to his statement.

"We did!" Taylor confirmed enthusiastically. "It was exquisite and so beautiful."

"I've heard that hotel is really extraordinary." Luke agreed.

Taylor chuckled. "I meant our lovemaking, not the hotel, although it was gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as the company I kept." he declared with confidence and assurance.

Luke nodded. "Got it." he said , blushing.

"How about you and Noah?" Taylor turned to look at Luke. "Have fun?"

"Yes we did." Luke said happily with a self conscious grin, remembering he and Noah wearing the thongs for a mere two seconds before they were pulled down and abandoned.

"Tell me." Taylor said as he turned back to the tv.

"No." Luke said firmly. "I don't kiss and tell... often."

"I only wanted to know what you got each other Luke, I don't need to hear the details of your intimate time with Noah." Taylor chuckled, making Luke's blush deepen in color.

"Oh!" Luke gasped. "Er, we gave each other chocolate thongs. I mean chocolate and thongs." he giggled at his blunder before continuing. "Great minds think alike I guess. What about you?"

"Aside from paying almost two hundred for the night at the hotel, I gave Kris a night he won't ever forget."

Luke cleared his throat. He was curious what Taylor and Kris did- just because he thought that with Taylor being older that he'd have some new or mysterious moves and positions. Luke wanted to know for the next time he and Noah had sex. Maybe there was something out there that he didn't know about that would astound Noah?

"Like... what?" Luke asked in a shy manner. He pretended to watch tv again so he wouldn't seem eager and preoccupied by Kris and Taylor's experience last night.

"It wasn't so much as a what- it was more of a how." Taylor admitted. "I spent a lot of time on him, kissing his body, paying close attention to the areas that earned me the most moans. I gave him a bubble bath, washed his hair and towel dried him off. After that, I served him champagne, made a romantic toast and after that, I- we made love."

"God, that sounds awesome. I bet Noah would love that!" Luke said and looked through the glass doors at Noah standing on the balcony.

"Well I'm not for hire." Taylor laughed. "You'll have to do it yourself."

Luke slapped Taylor's shoulder and called him a prick, but that only made the brunette laugh harder.

Noah came back inside when he heard Taylor's uproarious laughter. "What's going on?" he asked Luke with a smile.

Luke frowned at Taylor, though jokingly, and looked up at Noah. "He's being a dink."

"So? What's new?" Noah chuckled.

"Good comeback." Luke laughed and looked at Taylor.

"I am not a dink." Taylor grinned. "You can call me a dick, but not a dink."

Noah shook his head. "Nope, dink is the correct noun. It describes you perfectly."

Luke snickered and patted Taylor on the head. "What's the difference anyway?"

Taylor sat up and looked at Luke. With all seriousness, he stated, "Jeez Luke, one has an 'n' in it and the other has a 'c'." Taylor stared at Luke's confused face for a moment before standing up and laughing. "Gotcha."

Noah had been holding in his laughter the whole time, but let it out when Luke muttered, "Asshole."

"Oh? Now I'm a dink and an asshole, you might as well throw 'balls' in there too, then you'll have the whole male package included." Taylor laughed, patted Luke on the head and grinned at Noah before he went to the kitchen for a drink.

Noah sat next to Luke and nudged him with his shoulder. "You ok?" he asked, thinking Luke may have taken Taylor's teasing personally.

"Yea, fine why?" Luke asked as he took Noah's hand and held it. He played with Noah's fingers while Noah spoke.

"No reason. I really like Taylor... and Kris. What are we going to do when their baby is born?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going to make them get a new place or let them stay here with the baby?"

"Since my book is done, they can stay. I don't need it quiet in the house until I start another book and I don't know when that will be. So I say, we play it by ear. You know, they may decide to move and get their own place. Something with a backyard and a swing set."

"Damn. I don't want them to move." Noah pouted.

"Well, we may feel differently when the baby is actually here. If it keeps us up at night with his or her crying. There's colic, smelly diapers, and fevers and sicknesses. Oh, and tired and bitchy dads aren't fun to be around either."

"Sounds like you know a lot about kids."

"I told you, I had younger siblings."

"When will I get to meet your parents?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You never want to talk about it. What happened?"

"They disapprove of what I do- what I write about." Luke hung his head. "They didn't mind when I said I was gay, but when they found out after I graduated that I had written a short story and got it published in one of 'those' magazines... well, I'm just going to say they weren't pleased. My grandmother on the other hand, supports me. She hasn't read anything by me, but she's not ashamed of me either."

"Wow." Noah said, looking at Luke's forlorn face. He cuddled up to him and held on tightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I find out about my family through my grandmother and they find out things about me through her as well. So I guess in a way, we keep in touch. It's not conventional, but it works for me."

"Still... it's sad."

Luke shrugged and answered, "It's life."

Kris came through the front door at that moment carrying bags of food from the bar a few miles away from the townhouse. Taylor walked into the living room just then as well. "What did you get us?" Taylor asked, smelling something delicious.

"I just got burgers and fries. Taylor, they had a veggie burger so I got you that." Kris said as he set the food on the dining room table.

"Thanks." Taylor smiled at Kris. "You're very thoughtful."

"You were very thoughtful last night." Kris smiled back. "VERY thoughtful." he said, sinking to the chair. "So, So Thoughtful."

Taylor chuckled with the knowledge that Kris was recalling their special Valentine's Day night. He sat next to Kris and remarked, "You liked my gift?"

"God Yes!" Kris said loudly, in a dreamlike state. "And your fingers, your tongue, your mouth, your cock--"

"Shhh..." Taylor interrupted him, then chuckled when Kris widened his eyes and looked towards the living room. "Can they hear me?"

"Nah, I just didn't want you to get worked up." he teased with a sassy smile on his face.

"I already am worked up Taylor." Kris leaned forward and whispered, "When you licked my hole and then put your tongue inside me, I swear I saw Jesus!"

"Oh yea?" Taylor licked his lips, remembering Kris writhing his body onto his face. Kris had moaned the loudest he had ever heard anyone moan. Even Noah had nothing on Kris's vocals.

"Yea." Kris whispered. "And he was smiling!"

Taylor laughed. "That's great Kris."

"Mmm," Kris propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand as he thought back. "You took each one of my balls in your mouth, sucking and licking each one, then you licked up to my-"

"Krissss-" Taylor said with a large breath accompanying it. "stop. I'm so tired and you keep talking about 'that'. I just can't...." Taylor yawned. "you know, perform."

"It's ok. I was just reflecting on the night. I'm never going to forget it. Ever." Kris smiled and picked up his burger.

"Good. That was my intention all along." Taylor eyed Kris and said in a nonchalant way, "So, Cassandra has a Doctor appointment this week. Would you like to come with me and see our baby?"

Kris was uncomfortable. He wanted to go to be with Taylor and show his support, but he was nervous about seeing Cassandra. It was hers and Taylor's baby, not his and Taylor's. Not really. Not biologically. He had nothing to do with the conception. This was between Taylor and her.

He shrugged. Without giving a definite answer he said, "If I'm done with classes maybe I will. I don't know, it depends on how much homework I'll have. What day is the appointment on anyway?"


	35. Chapter 35 47 THE END

**CHAPTER: 35**

RATED: PG-13-R for Language and Sexual Situation (Nuke)

SUMMARY: Taylor and Kris have a disagreement, Taylor goes to the prenatal appt. Luke goes to work with Noah to model. Zachary makes an appearance and a proposition. Gavin calls Taylor on the phone.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

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"Toast please."

"Juice?"

"Yea, thanks. Oh and uh, bacon?"

"I'll take an egg over easy."

"Just give me a piece of fruit. I'm too excited to eat." Taylor held up his hand and caught the apple Noah threw to him from the kitchen. "Thanks."

"What time is the prenatal appointment?" Luke asked as he sat at the table with a glass of juice in his hand. "Oh, here Kris." he handed it to him, then the plate of bacon as well. He buttered the piece of toast that was handed to him and took a bite.

Taylor grinned proudly. "It's at noon, so I don't need to take off of work. Cassandra said she could plan all the appointments around my lunch schedule. She's such a sweetheart."

Noah pressed his lips to the top of Luke's blond head before he took the seat next to him.

Luke glanced at Kris and began to ask his question, "Kris-"

Kris looked up from his plate. He was sure he knew what Luke was going to ask, and honestly, he didn't know the answer. "Yes Luke?" he asked with the hope that he was wrong and Luke would ask him something about college or the weather- not that he knew anything about the weather or college for that matter.

"-are you going with Taylor?" Luke finished and quickly drank his juice when Noah nudged him with his knee under the table. "shhh" Noah hushed him from out of the corner of his mouth.

Luke watched Taylor watching Kris. Finally, Taylor asked, "Well Kris, how about it? You've had some time to think. Will you come with me? I can pick you up in front of the Memorial Union, isn't that where you go around noon-ish? That's where the LGBT committee meets right?"

Kris cleared his throat, nodded and reached for his glass. He almost spilled it because his hands were shaking. He took his time drinking while everyone waited for an answer from him. When it seemed that Kris wasn't going to speak after he set his empty glass on the table, Noah spoke up.

"Luke, lets go to the..." Noah looked around as his brain rushed to think. He and Luke had to get out of the room because he sensed trouble."...the living room. I want to show you something."

"What? What are you going to show me?" Luke asked, oblivious to the tension coming off Kris filling the room. He shifted in his seat, seeing Noah stand up, then look down at him with a frown.

"Come and find out." Noah responded and pulled Luke up by grasping his elbow and raising his arm.

"You guys don't have to go." Taylor said, relaxing back in the chair. "We have no secrets, do we Kris?"

"No." Kris answered, but looked at Luke with apprehension.

"See?" Taylor said with a smile although he knew something was eating Kris. "Take your seat and finish eating Noah. You can show Luke your dick another time." he laughed.

Luke hitched his breath. Noah chuckled at the sound of Luke's sharp intake of air because he knew Luke was beet red right now. Kris, however, kept his head down.

Taylor stopped laughing and asked, "Well Kris? Can I pick you up there or do you want to meet somewhere else?"

"Umm..." Kris stalled. His head stayed low as his eyes shifted from Luke and Noah to Taylor. "I can't go with you this time."

Taylor sat up straight. He took Kris's warm, sweaty hand and asked in a forlorn sort of way, "Why? This is our baby. I want you to come."

"I just can't. I have some... I have to meet some other students for... for... I need to-"

"Just stop it!" Taylor yelled and stood up.

Noah and Luke gasped. Kris was startled and shuddered, his eyes raising to meet Taylor's cold blue ones. "Do NOT lie to me." He pointed his finger. "I will not marry a liar so you better think about what comes out of your mouth from now on! As for coming with me.... I could drag you along, but I sense you don't want to go to the appointment by the tactful way you told me." Taylor's chuckle was filled with sarcasm. "It was a simple yes or no question. Call me at 11 sharp and tell me if you want to pick me up or not. If you don't call, there will be hell to pay." He grumbled, staring at Kris.

Kris nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry."

"Get your shit straightened out first and don't forget to call." Taylor checked his watch, picked up his half eaten apple and gazed at Kris. "I'm leaving now. I expect that call Kris, don't make me come looking for you. You do not want to see me that fucking mad. Trust me."

Kris stood up and kissed Taylor on the cheek. "Bye." he said softly, near Taylor's ear.

Taylor's anger dissipated. He said in a softer tone, "Bye kiddo. Love you. Don't forget about me, ok?"

"I won't." Kris promised, then sat back down when Taylor left.

Noah and Luke stayed silent and wide eyed the whole time that Taylor was lecturing Kris.

Kris sighed and rested his head in his hand.

"Are you alright?" Noah asked. "Why don't you want to go? Is he always like that?"

"Yes I'm fine. It's personal and no he's not." Kris muttered cryptically. He got up and gathered his things for school, then left for the bus station because Taylor had left, leaving him without a ride.

"I guess that's that." Noah said to Luke and began to eat his now cold breakfast.

Luke sighed, feeling bad for Kris, but understanding where Taylor was coming from too. Kris needed to take responsibility and be honest or Taylor would dump him. He could see that Taylor was not going to put up with Kris's behavior this morning.

Noah smiled at Luke when he came out of the dressing room wearing a suit and tie. _'Absolutely gorgeous. He's so sexy in a suit. So damn irresistible.'_

Noah spoke up before he left the room, "You look fantastic Luke. Martha? He's ready for makeup."

Luke sat in a chair in front of a mirror and a table loaded with different kinds of foundation, powder, eyeliner, mascara and on and on. His lungs filled with air, then he blew out nervously as Martha tested tan colored liquid foundation on his wrist to see what color would match the tone of his face.

When she had finished applying the powder to take away the shininess of his face, she called Jorge to do his hair. The whole production took just over two hours and his butt had fallen asleep. He wiggled in the chair, much to Jorge's displeasure.

"Hold still." he warned, "Or you will look like you just got out of bed."

"Where did Noah go?" Luke asked Jorge.

"He's probably talking to Mrs. Connor or talking to the other people that will be here for the shoot." Jorge said as he sprayed Luke's hair. "You have nice hair. So thick and silky."

"Thanks." Luke smiled at Jorge in the mirror.

"You seem like an unassuming model, not the usual type I work with. Most are arrogant and want things their own way." He said, smiling at Luke as their eyes met in the mirror.

"I'm not really a model. Mrs. Connor chose me because I modeled once before due to an accident with Noah's film. I destroyed it unintentionally." Luke laughed with the recollection of entering the bathroom and exposing Noah's film.

"I think you're very handsome. You should model professionally." Jorge stated, looking seriously at Luke in the mirror.

"Oh, I couldn't." Luke smiled with redness appearing on his cheeks.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you." Jorge ran his fingers through Luke's hair once more. "Done. How do you like your hair?"

"It looks great. Thank you." Luke said, turning his head to the right and the left as he stared at himself in the mirror. He thought he did look really good. Hopefully Noah would think so too.

Jorge reached toward the table and picked up his phone. He dialed a number and said, "He's ready."

"I'll be right there." Noah said to Jorge as he walked the hallway to the studio. "How's he look?"

Jorge chuckled and said, "Hot. I would have laid him down and did him even before all the makeup and new hairstyle."

"Uh Jorge, he's my boyfriend, but I appreciate the honesty."

"Oh! I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I didn't hit on him." Jorge shook his head for putting his foot in his mouth.

"It's ok." Noah said confidently, "I know he's not interested in anyone but me."

Jorge paused with nothing to say.

"See you in a few." Noah said, closed his cell phone, and stopped to get a drink of water before he entered the studio.

When Noah came into the room, he was blown away. "Jesus Luke." he said breathlessly. "You look fantastic." He stared at Luke's face and hair. Especially the light line of liner under Luke's eyes. "God, you ARE hot." Noah smiled devilishly.

"I think it's the liner." Luke laughed. "Maybe I should wear it all the time?"

Noah smirked, staring at Luke's eyes, then his lips. He whispered, "Maybe just in the bedroom."

Luke shook his head with a chuckle at Noah's suggestion. Was guyliner Noah's fetish?

Noah directed Luke where to stand, then he affixed his camera on the tripod. Next he used an apparatus to check the lighting around Luke and had the lighting men adjust their lighting boxes until Noah decided it was perfect.

"Ready?" Noah asked, looking through the viewfinder.

"Yes." Luke said shakily from nervousness.

"Alright, here we go." Noah said, then raised his head. "Just give me a hint of a pretentious look first, then we'll work from there."

Luke crossed his eyes playfully. The workers in the room chuckled, then stopped when Noah rubbed his forehead. "Luke, this can take a few hours or all day. Get serious. Please?"

"Ok." Luke said as he raised his head slightly and trained his eyes on the camera.

"Great. Hold that pose." Noah said, snapping pictures. "Give me a small smile and turn a little bit to the right."

Luke followed directions well and made only minimal mistakes, like when he was unable to stop laughing when Noah told him to look 'cocky'. Noah waited patiently, but when he was about to take Luke's picture, Luke would begin to laugh all over again. Noah decided that they all needed to take an early lunch break and would continue afterwards.

~~*~~

Taylor answered his cell phone. "Right on time." he murmured, "Hi Kris."

"Hi." Kris answered in a quiet shame-filled voice.

Taylor ignored the alarms going off in his head and got right to the point. "Shall I pick you up?"

Kris closed his eyes and whispered cowardly, "No."

Taylor's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "Ok, I guess I'll see you at home tonight then." he said dismally.

"Yea." Kris said with the fear that Taylor was angry, but he couldn't go. The baby was something Taylor and Cassandra made. He wasn't jealous anymore about Taylor being with Cassandra. He wasn't exactly sure why he didn't want to go- it was just a feeling. "Bye Taylor. I have to go." he said and surprisingly hung up on Taylor.

Taylor stared at his phone after Kris ended his call. He muttered under his breath, "Fuck! We have to have a talk. Things go from excellent to horrible. I'm sick of it, but dammit, I love the kid."

His phone rang just as he put it in his pocket. _'He better be calling to apologize for his behavior. At least he's aware of how shitty he treated me.'_

"Did you call to tell me you're sorry and that you love me?" Taylor asked in a calmer voice than what he was feeling.

"Sure. I'm sorry and I love you." Gavin laughed.

"Shit! Hey I'm sorry. I didn't look at the I.D." Taylor rolled his eyes. "Damn."

Gavin chuckled, which was music to Taylor's ears. His mood picked up because Gavin never had acted like a spoiled brat. "I take it you had a fight with.... Kris?"

"Yea, Kris." Taylor sighed heavily.

"Want to talk about it?" Gavin asked in his deep voice, filled with concern.

Taylor groaned with the thought of Kris's uninterested attitude in their baby. "Well, it's sort of a long story." he answered.

"Do you want to meet and talk about it?" Gavin suggested. "That is, if you're able to. I don't know if your fiancé is the jealous type."

"He gave me permission." Taylor winced. How pathetic was that statement?

"He did?" Gavin laughed. "How about after work? I'm done at the bank at five."

"Sounds good. Where do you want to meet?" Taylor asked, checking his watch.

"Well, I'd like to change out of my suit before I meet you."

"No problem. I can meet you at your place, then we can decide where to go." Taylor smiled. "Where are you living now?"

Gavin gave Taylor the address, then they said their goodbyes.

~~**~~

Cassandra was lying on the table waiting for her obgyn. and Amber was standing next to her. Taylor knocked on the exam room door and waited in case Cassandra was undressed.

"Come in." Amber said, looking up from Cassandra's face. "Hi Taylor." she greeted him.

The doctor followed him in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Mathis." she said, shaking everyone's hand. "The nurse said that you're having some morning sickness?"

"Yes. Nothing stays down. I vomit and feel nauseous almost all morning."

Amber lovingly swept Cassandra's hair back and tucked it behind her ear. "She's really having a hard time." she said to the doctor.

"Try soda crackers in the morning." Dr. Mathis said. "Just a few bites and eat smaller meals throughout the day. Drink plenty of water and take the folic acid vitamin later in the day. We want that to stay in your body."

Cassandra nodded as Amber took her hand.

Dr. Mathis looked over Cassandra's chart. "The nurse's notes state that your blood pressure, heart rate, and urine looks normal. Do you have any concerns?"

"I do." Taylor spoke up.

The doctor turned and asked, "Are you the baby's father?"

"Yes." Taylor said proudly with a grin.

"What is your question?" Dr. Mathis asked with a smile.

"I've been reading baby books and the one, "What to expect when you're expecting", is not very specific about morning sickness. Does it hurt the baby?"

"No. It's more of a nuisance for the mother to go through because her hormones are changing." Dr. Mathis stated. "It should wane by the second trimester. Anything else?"

Amber spoke up. "Her breasts are tender and sometimes hurt. Is there anything I can do for that?"

Dr. Mathis gazed at Cassandra. "Again, it has to do with the hormones your body is producing. Your breast are feeling heavier and fuller. You can wear a sports bra to help ease the achy-ness. Anything other questions?" Dr. Mathis looked at each person in the room before no's were said to her.

"Alright, let's check the embryonic heartbeat." Dr. Mathis said as she lifted Cassandra's shirt, then squirted the cold gel on her still flat stomach. She placed the Doppler on the gel and moved it around as she listened. "There it is!" she smiled before she began to count the number of heartbeats in a minute to be sure it was within the normal range.

Cassandra's, Amber and Taylor gasped as they listened to the rapid 'Whoosh,Whoosh,Whoosh' sound of the movement of the baby's heart. They all got tears in their eyes, but Taylor's ran down his face.

"That's my baby!" he wiped his cheeks.

Cassandra smiled. "What a wonderful sound!" she said as Amber kissed her cheek.

"Beautiful." Taylor walked forward and traded places with Amber. He kissed her forehead and stared into her eyes. "Thank you so much for doing this for me. I know I can never repay you for this gift your giving me."

"Can we see the baby?" Amber asked.

"Coming right up." Dr. Mathis said, getting ready to give Cassandra an ultrasound.

As soon as the picture of the fetus showed up on the monitor, Dr. Mathis measured the baby, "It's about ¾ of an inch long. You can only see one hand bud and a foot bud because the fetus is sideways. The embryonic tail is almost gone. See? And the dark hollow on the side of the head is an eye."

"See Taylor?" Cassandra laughed. "The baby is just like you. A little devil with a tail." she teased.

"I hope he'll take after me. Or she." Taylor studied the fetus on the monitor. "I can't believe I'm going to be a dad to that." he pointed. "Thats the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

Amber laughed. "It looks like a bean that's sprouting."

Dr. Mathis wiped Cassandras stomach, getting all the gel off before she printed two 8-week ultrasound pictures. She gave one to Taylor and one to Cassandra.

Amber pulled Cassandra's shirt down and helped her sit up. "Thank you Dr. Mathis."

"You're welcome." she replied and turned to Taylor, who was staring with amazement at the picture.

"When does Cassandra come back for her next appointment?" he asked, looking up from the picture of his baby to Dr. Mathis.

"She'll come every four weeks until twenty-eight weeks, then it'll be every two weeks until her thirty sixth week then it's weekly until birth." she answered.

Taylor felt comfortable with Dr. Mathis. He knew the answers because each book he read said basically the same thing. He wanted to make sure Cassandra's obgyn was knowledgeable. He only wanted the best Doctor taking care of Cassandra and his baby.

~~**~~

"You did fantastic Luke." Noah gushed, pulling his boyfriend into the dressing room. "You 'made' this suit. You're amazing and the most gorgeous model I've ever had the pleasure of working with."

Luke lowered his eyes, feeling a little self conscious. "Noah." he said bashfully. "You're just saying that."

"Uh-Uh. You are simply delicious." Noah said in a sexy voice as he wrapped his arms around Luke's neck. Luke looked up as Noah drew him in for a kiss, but not before gazing into Luke's bright, hazel eyes and saying, "I love you." He left a simmering kiss on Luke's lips.

"The taste of your lips makes me want to get naked." Luke admitted, feeling his body heat up, Noah's lips, tongue and kisses always fanned the flame and fueled the fire within him.

"Go ahead, get undressed." Noah smiled, his eyes running the length of Luke's body.

"Here? Are you sure?" Luke's imagination skyrocketed, naughty images filled his mind.

"Yes here. You have to get out of that suit, Mr. Hot Pants. I didn't realize you had such a dirty mind. Are you starved for something hot and hard up your ass? You wanna cream don't you?" Noah joked.

Luke gave Noah a playful sneer as he took off the suit jacket, then handed it to Noah to hang up.

"You're a cock-aholic aren't you? You're full of fuck." Noah chuckled not so teasingly now as he hung up Luke's clothes.

"Yes Noah, I am." Luke said to humor his boyfriend. Standing in front of his boyfriend in his red bikini underwear, he rubbed himself to an erection while Noah stared wide eyed and speechless.

"Get over here." Luke ordered with a look that said, 'just try to defy me'.

The words hit Noah's ears. He moved slowly without thinking, without knowing what he was doing because Luke was pulling his red underwear down, then left it bunched up on the floor.

"Come here." Luke commanded again, the motion of his finger accompanied his order.

Noah stepped forward, licking his lips as his cock hardened with excitement at seeing Luke naked in this setting. The combination of doing something here at work, which was against the rules, and Luke with his makeup on and being buck naked gave him a 'who the hell cares' attitude. He stared at Luke, completely in awe of him, while he was being undressed. He felt like the luckiest man in the world because Luke loved him.

"Shit!" Luke grumbled with a disappointed face. "I don't have any lube."

"Damn!" Noah swore and looked around. "There's enough room in here to lay side by side. We can do a double header, you know, 69. I want you to face fuck me. I have to taste your edible dick."

Luke nodded. "Yea," he said lowering himself to the floor. "I could go for some fuck juice." Luke said, semi shy about talking dirty to Noah. He gave Noah a come-hither look that brought Noah to his knees.

Noah thought it was adorable that Luke could still get embarrassed, sometimes Luke wasn't, but today he was. It could have something to do with the brightness of the room because usually when they made love, they were in their bedroom with the lights dimmed.

They shared a deep, longing passionate kiss before taking their positions.

~~**~~

Hot, rapid, expelled breath from Luke's nose hit Noah's groin each time Luke brought his face forward, filling his mouth with Noah's stiffness. Luke could tell Noah was close, he was too.

Noah picked up the pace- stroking, sucking and jacking so Luke did as well, their motions identical. They both grunted and moaned and swallowed every pearly jet of cum that hit the back of their throats.

"Give me a min-" Zachary stopped speaking after he opened the door to the dressing room. An outfit was draped over his forearm. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed with a shocked look. He stared as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind himself, now with an amused look on his face.

Luke and Noah quickly sat up and placed their hands over their crotches.

Noah scowled and rasped, "Get the hell out of here!"

"No way man. What are you going to do?" Zachary laughed. "Get up and push me out?" he began to undress to change into clothes for his shoot.

Luke looked helplessly at Noah. "Do something." he whispered before he turned around and grabbed his underwear and clothes.

"So," Zachary said, pushing down his jeans and underwear. "did I miss the party or are you both raring to go?" He looked up, naked from the waist down and grinned.

Noah looked away from his ex, seeing Luke dressing as fast as he could. He kept his hand over his groin as he stood up to walk to his clothes. He heard Zachary address Luke.

"Luke, that's quite an impressive ass impaler you have there- nice sack too. Is it still full.... because if it is, I can take care of that for you. I'm well known for 'kneeling at the alter' if you get my meaning."

Luke shook his head. "You're a pig." he said rudely as he pulled his tee shirt down. "You're just a piece of shit sleaze-bag who'll fuck anything with a hole."

"Doesn't say much about you then, since I just offered." Zachary chuckled, amused that Luke's verbal assault just backfired on him.

"That's enough!" Noah yelled angrily. He bent over to grab his clothes off the floor.

Zachary quickly stood behind Noah and thrust his hips at Noah's ass. "Ooh, Noah." he moaned passionately as he stared at Luke with a sneaky smirk. Luke stared back with hate for the model as he walked forward.

Noah quickly stood up, whirled around and shook his ex, yelling in his face. "DON'T EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN!"

Luke pulled Noah off Zachary. "Get dressed Noah. NOW." To Zachary, he said in a furious, menacing low voice, "Do not touch him, do not talk to him, don't even look at him."

Noah looked up. Hearing Luke speak in that tone of voice gave him a chill. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of that much loathing. He glanced back down and finished getting dressed.

"Or what?" Zachary looked Luke up and down and scoffed. "Noah likes it. He's just conflicted. You know, he wanted to marry me, not you. He only took you back because I turned him down. Maybe now I want to settle down. How about it Noah?" Zachary smiled at Noah before giving him a wink.

"I'll make sure you leave him alone." Luke glared at Zachary with no visible emotion showing on his face, but the adrenaline in his body surged from the anger he was feeling inside.

"Whatever Luke." Zachary waved him off. "I see Noah all the time. You can't know everything that goes on between him and me."

Noah spat, "Zack, leave him alone. Luke, lets leave."

"Aw, don't leave." Zachary said sweetly to Noah as he touched Luke's cheek, without tenderness, running his fingertip down to Luke's jaw.

Luke slapped Zack's hand away, but Zachary grabbed Luke's wrist and brought it down. He held onto it tightly and smirked, "Don't deny me Luke. I know you want me."

"He does not!" Noah shouted, then saw where Zachary had led Luke's hand.

Luke didn't know what happened until he felt Zachary's erection on the flat plane of his hand. "Like it Luke?" Zachary purred, leaning into Luke.

Noah dashed across the room, but he was too late. Luke pulled his hand off Zachary's cock, balled up his other hand and made a fist. He clipped Zachary on the jaw, yelling. "You motherfucker! You asshole!" He pulled his fist back, ready to hit the model again, but Noah stopped him.

He whispered to Luke, "Shh. Settle down. Let's go before you really hurt him."

Zachary whimpered, holding his jaw and glowered at Luke before yelling, "You fucking PRICK!" he lunged at Luke, but Noah stepped between the two, blocking Zachary's punch. He took the hit meant for Luke- receiving the blow below his eye.

Noah shoved Zachary backwards. He stumbled and fell against the only chair in the room. "Noah! What the hell!" Zachary yelled at him.

Noah grabbed Luke by the hand and left the dressing room in a hurry. The whole situation would have been funny, Zachary naked from the waist down and Luke and Noah fighting with him, but Luke and Noah found no humor in the position Zachary put them in.

"I have to wash my hand." Luke said before they passed the bathroom. "I feel like it's contaminated with scum and disease. I feel so dirty."

Noah chuckled. "I can't believe he.... no wait, I CAN believe he did that with your hand." He said as he held the door open for Luke.

"How could you have dated him? He's so... ugh... nauseating and obnoxious."

"Well, he is a huge flirt. I guess he said the right things to me." Noah shrugged.

"That and the fact that he's a model and looks like a God." Luke muttered as he dried his hands on a paper towel, then balled it up and tossed it in the wastepaper basket.

"I have a God, right here." Noah said, pulling Luke's body into his and kissing him. Luke sighed as he melted, feeling Noah's undying love on his tongue. Noah moaned, feeling the full amount of love Luke had for him in their kiss.

**CHAPTER: 36**

RATED: R (Sex & Language)

SUMMARY: Just Gavin, Taylor and Kris in this chp. with a pinch of Nuke

WARNING: Out of Character- AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The **original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.**

My editing, my mistakes.

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Taylor parked his car in the street outside Gavin's apartment building on Seaside Boulevard. He checked the time- it was still early. He had to wait for Gavin to come home from work, so he waited in his car and called Kris.

"Hello?" Kris answered with a smile. His mood had brightened considerably. Now he just wanted to make up with Taylor to make things right.

Taylor immediately picked up on Kris's lighter mood. He replied, "Hi. How was school?"

"Great!" Kris answered with enthusiasm. "I missed my ride today though."

"Well Kris," Taylor explained, still feeling the sting of hurt and rejection, "I was a little pissed off that you tried to sell me on that lame lie. I guess I don't understand why you didn't want to come with me to the appointment with the obgyn. We're in this together you know."

"I know." Kris replied. "I don't know what got into me. Sorry. It won't happen again."

Taylor lightened up and warned teasingly, "It better not. You should have seen the baby though, you would have fallen in love."

"Really?" Kris said. "You can tell me about it when you get home."

"Oh, about that. Gavin called and wanted to meet up to talk tonight. Do you mind? I can cancel if you had plans for us." Taylor bit his lip. "I know it's late notice--"

"No. It- It's alright." Kris said with a frown as he went to the table and blew out the candles he had lit seconds ago. He brought all the food he'd prepared back into the kitchen with the intention to throw it away. "Have fun."

"Thanks Kris." Taylor said relieved that his boyfriend seemed to be growing up. "You're a sweetheart."

"Yea, a sweetheart." Kris replied with a sarcastic tone.

_'Great, here he goes. Well, he's not going to make me feel guilty for meeting with a friend. He needs to realize that I have other people in my life, friends and co-workers, not just him. I'm ready for you Kris, say what you will, go off on me. I can take it and retort right back at you with a rational explanation.'_

"So?" Taylor asked, waiting for Kris to speak.

"Nothing." Kris whispered.

Taylor smiled, relieved that there was no tension between them. "Alright then. I love you."

Kris couldn't keep his emotions at bay anymore. He had prepared a romantic meal and wanted Taylor to come home. "See you whenever I guess. Bye." Kris said moodily and promptly hung up.

Taylor muttered, "That shithead hung up on me again and fuck him for making me feel guilty! Gavin is a friend. Granted, we were boyfriends for two years. Still, that shouldn't make Kris feel threatened! For fuck's sake, he and I are engaged!"

The more Taylor talked to himself, the more angry he got. "This is seriously fucked up. He knows how to play me. No," Taylor ran his hand down his face. "he doesn't. He wouldn't. He's not manipulative like that. He's just being himself. But it still makes me feel like shit. Hm, that must be Gavin pulling up."

Kris stared at the food he'd taken his time to make. He'd even used a cookbook to make Taylor's favorite meal. It had turned out beautifully too and he was excited to sit down with Taylor, apologize and talk about the baby with him. Now his plans were ruined. He called out to Luke and Noah from the kitchen. "You two can eat this. Taylor isn't coming home to eat."

Luke and Noah walked into the kitchen. Luke smelled the air as his stomach growled. He and Noah were just going to have bowls of cereal for supper, neither one of them wanted to cook.

"Why? Where is he?" Noah asked, seeing that Kris was saddened by the fact that Taylor wouldn't get to enjoy the meal that he had worked so hard on.

"He's meeting a 'friend'." He air quoted the word friend before dropping his arms uselessly to his side.

"Who?" Luke asked, taking the food back to the table.

"A guy named Gavin. He dated Taylor in college." Kris answered, leaning on the counter. He winced and said, "They were planning on getting engaged, but Gavin took a job in another state and Taylor didn't want to move."

"Oh." Luke nodded. "So you think Taylor still has the hots for him or what?"

Noah rolled his eyes at Luke's tactlessness. "Luke, just...." he wanted to tell him to shut up, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings. He looked at Kris and said, "Taylor loves you so much. You're engaged, you have a commitment and you're having a child together. Don't doubt what you have. Embrace it. Have confidence in yourself and please, don't grill Taylor about Gavin. He'll only become mad that you don't trust him because you're jealous."

Luke stared at Noah with a fair amount of admiration. He had a way with words. He said everything that Luke couldn't put into words. Luke was a great writer, but he wasn't quick on his feet like Noah was.

Kris nodded, understanding fully what Noah was saying. "I get that and I agree, but it still makes me feel like crap because I went through all this trouble to make a romantic meal for us and he's not going to--"

"Did you tell him that you did this for him?" Luke asked.

"Well, no." Kris muttered.

"Kris, if he had known, he wouldn't have went to meet Gavin. Don't you think so?" Noah said, placing a hand on Kris's shoulder and rubbing it. "Come on and eat with Luke and me. We can talk over dinner."

"Yea," Luke added, "It looks delicious and I'm starving. No offense Kris, but I'm glad Taylor isn't here because now me and Noah can enjoy your meal. Cereal just wasn't gonna cut it for me tonight."

Taylor got out of his car and walked up to Gavin. "Hi." he said, somewhat nervously.

"Taylor! Hi, I'm so glad you could make it. Come on up." Gavin motioned to the stoop leading into the building. "After you."

Upstairs, Gavin unlocked the door to his apartment. Taylor entered, impressed by the interior design of the living room.

"Have a seat." Gavin pointed at the caramel colored, upholstered sofa. "I'm going to freshen up, then we can get reacquainted. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. I hope you still drink Corona, there are bottles chilling in there. Oh," Gavin tapped his chin. "help yourself to the water and soda too if you wish." He met Taylor's blue eyes and smiled before turning and leaving the room.

Taylor gulped and walked to the kitchen. He looked around, remembering Gavin's taste and seeing it in this room as well as in the living room. He took out a beer, opened it and walked back to the living room. He took a seat on the sofa and waited for Gavin. He had so many questions about his life and what he'd been up to since they parted five years ago- after college.

Gavin came from the kitchen wearing a white tee shirt and shorts with a beer held to his lips. He sighed with contentment after he swallowed and said, "That hits the spot after a hard days work." He sat on the couch and took another long drink.

Taylor nodded and replied, "It does." and took a sip.

Gavin leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, holding his beer with two fingers hooked under the lip of the mouth of the bottle. "So Taylor, what's up?"

"Not much." Taylor said, staring at the back of Gavin's head. His brown hair was shorter, more professional looking because he had to have a certain image while working in a bank. His back was broader, like he'd been working out or he'd picked up playing a sport.

Gavin turned his head and asked, "How have you been?" then looked away, staring at his beer and swinging it slightly before drinking it.

"Well, I've been great. I still have the same job. Physical Therapy Ma-"

"Massage for kids?" Gavin finished.

Taylor chuckled, "You remembered!"

"How could I forget? You didn't want to leave the clinic to come with me." Gavin muttered.

"I know, but we talked about that." Taylor leaned forward on his knees too. He glanced at Gavin and shrugged. "Maybe it was for the best."

"Maybe."

"What have you been up to, besides work. I'd rather not talk about that."

"Deal." Gavin finished his beer and stood up. "Want another?" He held up his empty bottle.

Taylor had some left, but he nodded anyway. When Gavin left the room, he guzzled the rest and waited for Gavin to return.

"Here you go." Gavin held out another beer for Taylor and took a seat. "What did you want to know again? Oh, what I've been up to."

"Yes. Are you dating or do you have a boyfriend? What do you do in your spare time?"

"I'm not dating nor do I have a boyfriend. I recently ended a relationship of six months. In fact," Gavin chuckled, "none of my relationships have lasted over six months. Go figure." he scratched his head behind his ear.

"That's the stage where the relationship gets serious. You're relationship shy!" Taylor laughed, slapping Gavin on the knee.

"God you sound great. I always loved your laugh and the way you made me laugh." Gavin grinned.

"We had some great times." Taylor smiled back, peering into Gavin's magnificent, multicolored-brown eyes.

"We did. Just think," Gavin laughed, "we would have been married five years already if I hadn't moved or if you had come with me."

"I know. I've thought about that over the years. Weird huh?"

"Yup." Gavin looked away from Taylor's vivid blue eyes and sipped his beer. "So tell me, what was going on when I called?"

Taylor told Gavin about Kris and the baby and how he thought Kris was having second thoughts about raising a child. How he didn't want to go to the prenatal appointment and the way he was acting.

"So," Gavin said, "he's in college and engaged to you, twenty-one, and you wonder why he's having second thoughts? C'mon Taylor. You know what's going on." He nudged Taylor's arm with his elbow.

"Ugh," Taylor rolled his eyes. "You think he's too young too?"

"No, I didn't say that. I think that maybe, just maybe, he thinks a baby is going to take away any attention you would normally give to him. I mean I'm just guessing because I don't know Kris at all. I could be way off." Gavin looked back at Taylor, meeting his eyes.

"How did you get so smart?" Taylor chuckled, holding his beer to his mouth. He drank while Gavin answered.

"I've always been smart, Woobie." Gavin said with a smirk.

Taylor almost spit out his mouthful of beer. "Oh God! I forgot you used to call me that!" he laughed.

"It's a hell of a lot better than what you called me!" Gavin leaned on Taylor and laughed. "Remember?"

"Yes!" Taylor yelled. "Shithead!"

Gavin shook his head. "Man that was embarrassing when we'd go somewhere and you'd call me that."

"It was said with the highest amount of esteem, respect and love." Taylor snickered.

Gavin rested against the back of the couch and stared at Taylor's back. "You know, I think you're more handsome than you were before."

Taylor glanced over his shoulder. Looking at Gavin, he thought the past five years were easy on him too.

Gavin tilted his head and asked, "Do you want to go out and get a bite to eat?"

"Nah, I'm not that hungry." Taylor answered, laying against the back of the couch also and crossing one leg over the other.

"Then you can take that tie off and relax." Gavin stated. The familiar scent of Taylor filled his nostrils. He reached over and loosened Taylor's tie, then took it off and handed it to him.

"Thanks." Taylor said, putting the tie on the sofa next to him. He reached up and undid a few buttons on his shirt and sighed.

Gavin tore his eyes away from the sexy, dark hair peeking out from Taylor's shirt and asked, "So, how's the gang?"

"Great. Sabrina had a baby boy a little while back. I'm the godfather."

"YOU?" Gavin laughed. "That kid better watch out!"

Taylor nodded and lifted his bottle of beer. "I warned her and Jon."

"What about your baby?" Gavin asked.

"What about him... or her?"

"I know you love kids.... how are you going to work this out with Kris? I mean, I want to see you and him happy, but does he make you happy?" Gavin asked with concern for Taylor in his voice as he raised his brows questioningly.

"I think things will work out. It's an adjustment that we'll have to get used to.... and we love each other so I don't see a problem. Once the baby is born, everything will be fine. You should have seen him with Austin, Sabrina and Jon's baby." Taylor smiled, recalling the time he and Kris babysat.

Gavin changed the subject. "How is Drew?"

"He's well too. Everyone is. I didn't tell you, but Cassandra is our baby's surrogate mother." Taylor averted his eyes- wondering if he'd be judged.

"Wow! How did Amber take that? Is she still with Amber?"

"She is." Taylor said. "Obviously they talked about it first. Cassandra has been very generous." Taylor nodded. "More than generous."

Gavin and Taylor were silent for a while. It wasn't uncomfortable, in fact, it felt like Gavin had never left- that's how close and in love they had been in.

"I guess-" Taylor said aloud to himself.

"You have to go?" Gavin asked, turning his head to look at Taylor.

"I should, but-" Taylor let the sentence hang. He was totally relaxed and he didn't feel like moving. He smiled and touched the side of his head briefly on Gavin's shoulder.

"Beer makes you tired now?"

"No, the stress of the day does. First the argument with Kris, then rushing to the appointment, seeing my baby and hearing it's heartbeat and then talking to Kris again. I feel guilty. Like I should apologize to him even though I wasn't the one being unreasonable."

"Wait!" Gavin sat up excitedly. "You HEARD AND SAW your baby! Holy shit Taylor! That is big, huge, enormous! Why wouldn't Kris want to experience that? That's just sad, er, not to bring you down or anything."

Taylor grinned, forgetting about Kris's stubborn behavior for now, and took out his wallet. He handed the picture of the fetus to Gavin and pointed as he spoke. "That right there is my baby. MINE! Can you imagine that?"

"He's fucking beautiful for a bean with.... itty bitty body parts." Gavin stared, amazed at the little body.

"Or she... I said the same thing... it's a little bean." Taylor's eyes got misty and blurry as he stared at the picture.

Gavin looked up as he handed the picture back. "Are you ok?" he asked, reaching up and wiping a stray tear away from Taylor's cheek.

Taylor nodded and said, "Yes. It's just that.... this baby is a miracle. Cassandra couldn't get pregnant until... never mind."

"No, what? Tell me." Gavin instinctively reached out and laid his hand on Taylor's leg, just above the knee.

"No." Taylor shook his head. He didn't want his... friend?... to form a critical opinion of him the same way Kris had.

Gavin took Taylor's hand, each one of them feeling the warmth and old sparks firing up. "C'mon Woobie. Tell me."

Taylor sucked in his bottom lip and bit it. Gavin watched Taylor's tongue emerge to rub away the sting on his lip, wetting it in the process. Gavin's reflexes automatically squeezed Taylor's hand.

Taylor squeezed back, shocking Gavin. "Ok, but if you pull your hand away..." Taylor warned.

"I won't. What is it?" Gavin asked curiously with his eyes trained on Taylor's lips.

"The artificial insemination didn't work. Cassandra and I tried more than once." Taylor hung his head and continued. "In Vitro fertilization was too expensive so I-"

"Fucked her?" Gavin said with a gasp, but held Taylor's hand tightly.

"Well, not... it wasn't like 'that'." Taylor said with the sound of humiliation in his voice.

"Sorry. It took me by surprise. You with a girl- Cassandra at that! Jesus."

"Yea. I know." Taylor said in a quiet voice.

"So you made a child, who cares. You wanted one, you knew how to get one and you got a willing woman to have it for you. Good for you!" Gavin said with a huge smile.

"You don't think it's cheating? You approve?" Taylor raised his head and stared unbelievingly at Gavin. "Why did I ever let you go!"

Gavin chuckled and shrugged. "I understand the need to have a child too. I just have to find the right guy and have a relationship with him that lasts for more than six months."

"You could raise a child alone." Taylor finally let go of Gavin's hand and wiped the dampness from their combined heat on his pants.

"I could, but I don't want to. I do want to get married and have children, you know, the whole nine yards- like what you have with Kris." Gavin said with conviction.

Taylor smiled with nostalgia. "Remember our plans? You and I wanted kids by our second year of marriage."

"I remember." Gavin sighed. "A home with a master bedroom that had sound proof walls."

"Yup, cuz your ear-splitting cries of passion would have woken the kids." Taylor laughed.

"Bullshit!" Gavin laughed loudly. "It was because you swear so loud. You talk dirty, so raunchy and explicit when you're... uh..." He looked down, embarrassed that he'd brought up the memory of Taylor's impassioned verbalizations when they would have sex. Taylor's profanity always turned him on.

"Cumming?" Taylor laughed, "It's ok. We had sex. You can say it."

"Uh, need another drink?" Gavin stood up. Taylor did too.

"No, but I'll take a glass of water." Taylor began to walk to the kitchen. Gavin followed, watching Taylor's rear end, yearning for him and what they had, but Taylor was out of his life and out of reach. He was expecting a baby and he was going to get married. It still didn't stop him from looking though.

Taylor watched Gavin fill a glass with ice and water from the door of the refrigerator. When Gavin handed it to him, they smiled at one another. Again, it was quiet as the two looked at each other. Finally, Taylor's hand got cold from the glass of ice water. He became aware he was staring at that point and raised his glass. "Cheers." he snickered and took long gulps of the cool water.

Gavin watched Taylor's masculine adams apple rise and fall, feeling himself getting turned on by that and by the skin on Taylor's neck. He quickly rubbed his face with both hands, trying futilely to rid his mind of the images of Taylor's naked body. _'He wouldn't look the same naked now as he did five years ago. He's changed. He probably doesn't even have the same personality, although he still has the same sense of humor. Maybe he's not so different after all. I know I haven't changed drastically.'_

Taylor set down the glass, cocked his eyebrow and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Gavin smiled nervously.

"Liar." Taylor took a step forward. "You know how I hate (another step) lying. I hate it-" he took the last step forward, ending up right in front of Gavin. "-so much that I'm going to have to-" Taylor rose his hands and wiggled his fingers. "-tickle you!" then he proceeded to grab and tickle Gavin.

Gavin squealed and laughed, tried to push Taylor off, and tried to turn around to run away.

"Stop! Stop!" Gavin quivered with laughter. "Please.... Taylor!" he cried out.

"Nope." Taylor laughed too, tickling Gavin without letting up.

Gavin felt Taylor's hands on his waist and called out, "Please, oh god! Stop!"

"No way Jose'" Taylor answered, continuing the torture on Gavin by wriggling his fingers.

Gavin's body was shaking from giggling and writhing against Taylor as he fought to get away. He missed this with Taylor over the years, this intimacy and to be able to enjoy someone's company this much.

Suddenly, Taylor stopped tickling Gavin and circled his arms around his waist.

"What?" Gavin asked, then felt Taylor's erection pressing against his. "Oh." Gavin gasped, feeling lightheaded.

Taylor looked into Gavin's eyes and before he knew it, his mouth was on his. Kissing him felt like it had years ago. When their eyes slowly closed, they could imagine it was. Their lips quickly became overheated and red, then Taylor raised one hand for his fingers to tangle in Gavin's hair. His other hand rose as well. He planted his thumb and index finger on Gavin's chin and used them to part Gavin's lips. Taylor's tongue entered his mouth deliberately, then delicately touched his tongue to Gavin's tongue. He heard Gavin's desperate moan and deepened the kiss. It became urgent and rough with need. Gavin's hands roamed along Taylor's back before grasping the back of his pants to clutch his ass.

Taylor sped home. All the way, he was slamming his fist on the steering wheel of his car, cursing and calling himself names. He was shocked at the time it read on his dashboard. The night had flown by so fast- nearing 1am. The only good thing about that was Kris would be asleep. Taylor could sneak into bed without waking Kris and therefore, Kris wouldn't have a clue as to what time he got home. "I hate lying. I don't want to lie to him." he grumbled and ran his fingers through his hair. "ShitShitShit!"

Taylor walked silently into the townhouse, undressing as he walked down the hall. He inched his bedroom door open, stepped inside leaving his clothes on the floor and walked to his side of the bed. After hundreds of excruciatingly slow movements so he wouldn't wake up Kris, he was finally in bed and under the blankets. He sighed with relief and anguish and guilt. He didn't know what he was doing, but he knew what he HAD to do. As he was thinking, Kris rolled over and groaned.

"Mmm.... Taylor? You home?" he asked in a heavy, sleep laced voice.

"Yes." Taylor answered and kissed the top of Kris's head before suggesting, "Go back to sleep."

"Nuh-Uh." Kris said as he woke up. He opened his eyes and asked, "How was it? Is he the same person as you remember?"

Taylor whispered, "Yes, pretty much."

"So you're all caught up?" Kris sat up, then he laid his hand on Taylor's chest and moved his hand around to feel the hair on his palms.

"Yes. We're caught up." Taylor closed his eyes. "Mmm, that feels good."

"Does it?" Kris smiled. "I'm glad I can make you feel good. So, do you want to feel even better than good?"

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked with a smirk that Kris couldn't see in the dark, but was heard in Taylor's voice.

"I'm naked and I have a plug in so you don't have to get me ready. We can just start right up and go at it." Kris felt for Taylor's face, leaned down and kissed his lips. "You were drinking?"

"I had two."

"Where did you go? To some bar or restaurant?"

Taylor swallowed hard, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "No, to his apartment." He winced, waiting for Kris to hit him or yell. All he heard was silence. He said a silent 'thank you god' and waited.

Kris wanted to know more. He wanted to quiz Taylor, but he remembered Noah's advice and thought it would be wise to keep quiet.

"Kris?" Taylor asked after a few minutes. His fiancé was so quiet and still.

"Hm?"

"Never mind." Taylor said, deciding this was definitely not the moment to confess.

"Are you going to-" Kris hesitated, then whispered, "make love to me?"

"Kris..." Taylor stalled.

"I'm sorry about everything. I should have come with you to the appointment, but it felt wrong." Kris said softly, trying to break it to Taylor gently. "I guess I don't know my place with you and the baby and Cassandra."

"It's our baby Kris. You'll adopt him or her as soon as it's born." Taylor said, reaching up and petting Kris's hair. "Ok?" He felt Kris nod, then pulled him over to his side of the bed to kiss him.

Kris moaned and reached inside Taylor's briefs. He wrapped his fingers around Taylor's cock and stroked it as their tongues stroked against each other.

Taylor turned on his side to face Kris, resting his right hand on Kris's hip. It gradually slipped to his ass cheek, then further. He felt the end of the plug and carefully pulled it out.

"Mmmnnggg" Kris moaned in Taylor's mouth, then whimpered, "Need you. More."

Taylor reached for Kris's face and cupped cheek before he drew away, inevitably breaking a heart-stopping kiss.. "I- I-" He couldn't say it. Not today, maybe never. He didn't want Kris to break down again.

"What?" Kris asked as he got comfortable on his back.

"I need the lube." Taylor lashed out, angry at himself.

"If you don't want to make love, just say so." Kris replied in response to Taylor's snippy tone and attitude.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound bitchy."

"Ok, so, do you want to or not?" Kris asked anxiously, hoping that Taylor would make love to him.

"Of course I want to!" Taylor said as he sat up. He shimmied out of his briefs, retrieved the lube, and slathered himself up.

With his hands positioned on either side of Kris's head, he moved forward, feeling for Kris's entrance with the head of his cock. Kris tightened his leg grip around Taylor's waist and moved his hips to help.

"Right there!" Kris said with excitement.

Taylor plunged inside with an elongated grunt followed by a sigh. "It feels like I'm gonna cum already." Taylor admitted. "You feel so good kiddo."

"You do too." Kris squeaked and gasped when Taylor did that thing with his hips. Rotating them and grinding and pushing against Kris's ass with his groin. "AhhhShhhit" Kris fought for air when Taylor continued to take him to a height of ecstasy that only he could.

Taylor withdrew and drove back inside several times, thinking of his own needs and just wanting the fulfilling, satisfying, orgasmic feeling of cumming.

"Ahhhh.... Kris....." Taylor panted, sweat running off his forehead, his muscles tightening, his hips tense as he thrust into Kris one last time and came- letting out a low guttural groan when his cock twitched. His release splashed inside of Kris before his body convulsed due to the intensity of it.

Kris licked his lips and waited for Taylor to stop shuddering and take care of him like he usually did, but it was taking an unusually long time for Taylor to come down from his high. He picked up his own leaking, throbbing cock and began to stroke it. He closed his eyes and felt Taylor slip from his body, then tissues or something were placed in the crack of his ass. Abruptly after that, he felt Taylor's hand grab his wrist and pull his hand off his cock, then Taylor's teeth scraping along his inner thigh before his warm mouth enveloped his whole dick at once.

Kris arched his back and gripped Taylor's shoulders, digging his fingernails into the skin without drawing blood. Taylor pulled off- leaving the cool air to hit the wetness he left on Kris's cock, but that was ok with Kris because he felt fingers rolling his nuts around, playing with them and caressing them. He felt Taylor's tongue licking his shaft upwards several times before his lips covered the head of his cock again, sinking down- all the way to the base of it.

Taylor used his tongue to massage Kris's cock and heard a sigh of lustful desire hit his ears. He continued his hungry onslaught on Kris's dick. Kris squeezed his eyes closed tighter, groaned loudly, and tensed up before he exploded. His orgasm was earthshaking. His cock pulsed as he launched 5, 6, then 7 times. Cum drained down Taylor's throat as Kris vocalized his pleasure- loudly with his vulgar, yet, delicious mouth.

Kris laid where he was, exhausted and gasping for air. He was temporarily paralyzed by Taylor's perfected delivery of a blow job. Taylor crawled up the mattress and fell onto his side of the bed. He was exhausted, but he knew guilt would ride him tonight and he wouldn't be able to sleep.

As soon as Kris regained use of his voice, he asked, "Will you cuddle with me?"

"Yea." Taylor turned on his side spooned him. Kris wiggled his ass against Taylor's cock and closed his eyes- satisfied and content that Taylor made him feel so good, but more importantly, that Taylor came back to him. He had no reason now not to trust Taylor. Just because he wanted to meet with an old friend and ex-boyfriend didn't mean that Taylor would cheat. He fell asleep with Taylor's protective arm around his waist and a smile on his face.

Taylor couldn't sleep. He breathed in the shampoo Kris used as well as the residue of the smell of soap on his body. He couldn't help but compare Kris's smell to Gavin's. They smelled so different, yet each aroma was familiar and arousing to him.

_'I love Kris so much. God, I fucked up. Well no more. I'm committed to him wholly- except for my mindlessness and carelessness tonight. That's over and done with. I have to move on, forget about what I did, forget about Gavin and his.... Jesus... kiss and everything else about him. Fuck! I have to stay faithful. I do really love Kris and tonight was a setback. But it was so easy with Gavin __tonight. We just fall into this... _**thing**_.... where we talked for hours.' _

_'With Kris it's complicated. We fight and I have to watch what I say. With Gavin, I didn't have to. I could say whatever was on my mind. Gavin was understanding and very attentive. Kris is too, but... they're so different- unique in their own way. STOP comparing them! It doesn't help matters.'_

Taylor pulled Kris closer and kissed the nape of his neck. "Love you kiddo." he whispered before taking a sharp intake of breath, desperately fighting back the urge to cry.

**CHAPTER: 37**

RATED: R

SUMMARY: Noah talks to Taylor about his distant behavior and he also talks to Mrs. Connor, his boss, about yesterday.

WARNING: Out of Character and AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

My editing, my mistakes.

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Noah came out of the bathroom dressed and ready to eat breakfast. He gazed at Luke's naked body with a large grin on his face. He could see the elongated, pinkish-red fingernail scratches trail down his back. He chuckled quietly to himself.

Luke had been relentless last night. Fucking him all the way up the bed until Noah hit the top of his head on the headboard and even then, Luke didn't stop. He kept pounding and ramming his cock into his ass over and over then he'd stop just as they were about to cum. Then Luke waited patiently until the feeling lessened before he went full force at Noah again, gasping and cussing. Noah squirmed, wanting release so badly, but Luke kept slapping his hand off his dick, making Noah go nuts. His cock throbbed for the attention of his hand, Luke's hand or Luke's mouth.

Luke stopped his hip movements, his motions and rhythm to wait until that overwhelming urge to cum passed- Again! Noah grit his teeth and stared at Luke's face, tempting him with the seductive look in his blue eyes. He licked his lips slowly and raised his ass by using his legs, which were wrapped around Luke's body, to pull himself up.

"Tease." Luke said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. He groaned when Noah squeezed his cock with his inner muscles. "You... fuck..." Luke pulled almost all the way out and stopped. "God you're such a (oh god) an awesome lover. I (damn! What is he doing!) don't ever want to leave your ass." (Shit, he keeps pulsing on my cock!)

Luke decided he'd show Noah. He jammed his cock inside and paused, throbbing his cock inside, making it twitch and jerk. He smiled sneakily at Noah. "How do you like that baby?"

"It's nice, now fuck me with it." Noah smiled back, once again contracting his insides.

Luke intentionally went slow to torture Noah. His cock brushed along Noah's sensual, sweet spot each time he entered and drew back.

Noah opened his mouth and let out a sexy moan that would give anyone a hard on. He implored, "Ahhhh.... faster Luke, come on. I want your body pressing against me." His eyes seemed to glow and shimmer by the dim light in the room. "Feed my ass that thick, delicious cock. Yeaaaaa, that's it." he drawled when Luke picked up speed.

Luke was breathing heavily, just like Noah. As he exhaled, he told Noah, "Grab your big dick Noah and stroke it for me. I wanna see it explode. I wanna see you shoot your creamy load and watch you glaze your chest while I'm filling you with my cum."

"Maybe I want to see it glaze your chest." Noah remarked in a flirty manner, aiming his cock at an angle towards Luke, his fist rapidly and effortlessly moved up and down his cock's length.

"Do it." Luke grunted. His heart thundered in his chest as he vigorously moved in and out of Noah's body.

Noah braced himself by holding onto one of Luke's biceps and locking his ankles around each other to hold on. His moans echoed in the room, getting louder and louder.

Noah smiled, recalling the exact time he ejaculated. Luke had just began to arch and pant when Noah had pointed and aimed his cock at Luke. He came, streams of milky-white liquid shot out all over Luke's chest and neck. He watched it splatter onto Luke's torso, enjoying the sounds coming from Luke's mouth.

Noah sighed with sheer happiness that he found someone like Luke. He radiated and exuded love with each and every look he gave Noah. Noah couldn't help staring into Luke's twinkling, amber colored eyes every chance he got. He also couldn't stop himself from wanting to kiss his full, shapely lips when Luke was talking. It was mesmerizing to watch his mouth move. There were other things too, but those were the most alluring to Noah.

Luke's favorite things about Noah, he told him, were his fingers because they were long, lean and knew just how to caress him- raising goosebumps. Each time Noah touched him, his skin burned and tingled. Luke also loved Noah's expressive eyes, the azure color of them and the way they darkened when Noah was in the mood to make love.

Noah turned away and went downstairs, leaving Luke to sleep. He entered the silent kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal, then sat at the equally quiet dining room table. He looked from Kris to Taylor and frowned. "Something going on I should know about?" he asked, prying into their business.

Kris grinned and said, "No. We're fine, aren't we Taylor?"

Taylor was lost in thought and playing with his breakfast. He wasn't really interested in eating.

Kris covered Taylor's hand with his own and said, "Taylor?" He looked at Noah and replied, "He's probably thinking about last night." and giggled.

"Hm?" Taylor gazed at Kris and asked, "What about last night?" as he recalled going to Gavin's apartment. Is that what Kris is talking about, he wondered.

"You're off in la-la land and I said to Noah that you're probably thinking about last night." Kris laughed.

"What do you mean last night? Oh, you mean.... oh yea. I was thinking about last night." Taylor admitted. "It was fun."

"Fun?" Kris snickered. "It was awesome!" he said full of boundless energy.

Taylor nodded and turned away, avoiding Kris's eyes.

Kris was oblivious to Taylor's mood and kept eating. Noah however, did notice how Taylor was acting. He looked at him suspiciously between bites of cereal, trying to figure him out. He knew Taylor went to meet with Gavin and he was sure that was what was causing Taylor's distant behavior.

"Taylor, I need talk to you alone. I have to ask you something and it's pretty important." Noah spoke in such a way that Taylor couldn't say no.

"Sure." Taylor stood up and looked at Kris. "I'll be right back. Finish eating breakfast so we can leave right away when I come back."

"Ok." Kris grinned at Taylor.

"Lets go to my room." Taylor suggested, leading the way. He shut the door after Noah walked inside. Noah turned, immediately accusing Taylor, "What did you do with Gavin?" He glared at his roommate with his hands on his hips.

Taylor let out a groan. "Shit." he said looking at the carpet. "Is it that obvious?"

Noah angrily commented, "Hell Yes! Maybe Kris can't tell, but I sure as shit can! What the fuck are you thinking? You're engaged to Kris and you're out banging your old boyfriend? You are just pathetic Taylor. You're hurting Kris again. I knew it!"

"First off, I didn't fuck or bang him! We kissed... well, made out, but after a while, Gavin pushed me off and reminded me that I was engaged and that Kris and I were going to be parents. He's right and so are you. I made a promise to Kris and I intend to keep it."

"But you MADE OUT with HIM!"

"It was a moment of misjudgment." Taylor tried in vain to explain his actions to Noah. "I missed him and he missed me. We talked and talked and talked. Noah, he's the same man I remember from years ago. It was like he never left. We still have this connection after all these years!"

"Don't try to justify this to me." Noah said. He didn't want to get in the middle of Taylor's triangle so he said, "Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. You have a humongous decision to make." He stepped forward to leave, but Taylor grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"No I don't. I love Kris and I do have feelings for Gavin, but it's not love. That ship sailed long ago. I'm wracked with guilt over what I did. I know kissing Gavin was wrong and I regret it. I just don't know how to tell Kris. I mean, he threatened to kill himself because I impregnated Cassandra, even though being with her like that meant nothing to me. How is he going to cope when I tell him I made out with Gavin?"

"Don't. Whatever you do Taylor, don't tell him. It could break him. I don't care how guilty you feel, do NOT tell him. Trust me, it's for his own good and if you DO tell him, that will just show how selfish you are by unloading your problems on him just so you feel less guilty. THAT would do more harm than good, not to mention it's mean, just plain cruel."

"I understand that." Taylor let go of Noah's hand.

"Do you? Because if you don't, let me remind you that Kris is a fragile human being and I for one do not want to find him dead in the bathtub or hanging from a noose in the laundry room. Keep your fucking mouth shut. Sometimes we have to lie and keep secrets for the better of another." Noah frowned at Taylor, then his face relaxed when he saw that Taylor was in agreement with him.

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to Kris." Taylor said, biting on a fingernail. "I promise not to say a word. I'll get past the guilt somehow."

"At least you didn't sleep with him. You know, making out isn't too big of a crime, but don't do it again. You know? We're all tempted all the time. Some act on it, some don't. Just **don't** anymore."

"Gotcha." Taylor nodded. "I really feel better because I talked to you and told you about it. Thanks for being here for me and talking me through this. I have to forgive myself and move on."

"Good idea." Noah smiled, glad that he got through to Taylor.

When they walked into the living room, Kris was sitting on the couch watching the early show with Luke, who was covered in a sheet he had taken off their bed.

"Hi Noah." Luke yawned.

"Hey there." Noah smiled and bent down to kiss Luke on the lips.

"Ready Kris?" Taylor ran his fingers through Kris's blond hair.

"Mmm, no. Keep doing that. It feels really good."

Taylor chuckled and continued to comb his fingers in Kris's hair for another minute before he bent down and whispered, "Come on my beautiful boy, let's go."

Kris's stomach fluttered, Just hearing Taylor's sexy voice in his ear could almost get him hard and raring to go. He stood up and walked to the front door with Taylor in tow. "Bye Luke and Noah." he called out and waved.

"Bye Kris and Taylor." Luke waved.

"Bye Taylor." Noah nodded at the brunette before addressing Kris. "Have a great day Kris. Study hard." he smiled.

"Oh I will!" Kris laughed as he opened the door and left with Taylor.

Noah turned his attention back to Luke, "So... what's with the sheet?"

Luke stood up and let the sheet drop. He stood before Noah- naked as the day he was born.

"Ahhhh man.... Luke. You are so... shit." Noah said rubbing his chin when Luke turned around, showing his bare ass.

"What do you expect me to do babe? I have to leave now or I'll be late." Noah said, approaching Luke, then he swept his hands all over Luke's chest and abdomen.

"You don't have to do anything. I'm just showing you what you have at home so that when Zachary sees you today, you'll forget about seeing him naked from the waist down yesterday."

"Don't worry." Noah pecked Luke on the nose. "You're the only one who turns me on and you're the only one I want."

"Are you going to do anything about him?" Luke asked anxiously. He was so done with having to deal with the model. Having Zachary proposition him and making him touch his dick was beyond disgusting, not to mention the way Zachary pressed his dick against Noah's bare ass! That made Luke furious.

"Yes. Don't worry." Noah said, kissing Luke's eyelid, then the other one. "I love you my naked, deviant boyfriend."

"I wouldn't be a deviant if you'd join me." Luke teased enticingly, seeing a flicker of temptation in Noah's eyes.

"Uh, no, I better not." Noah chuckled, seeing the lustful desire in Luke's eyes and the aroused state his body was in. Inevitably he sigh-moaned.

Luke shrugged as a giggle escaped past his lips, "Ok Noah, give me a kiss goodbye."

Noah pursed his lips and neared Luke's face.

"Nope." Luke said and put his hand on top of Noah's head, then pushed down.

Noah snickered as he was lowered to cock level.

"Kiss it." Luke demanded.

Noah reached out and took Luke's hard, hot cock in his hand and kissed the head of it, his lips lingering longer than a moment or two. He snaked his tongue out and gave the muscle and long lick, then a strong suck before he rose to his full height.

"Noahhhh." Luke opened his eyes.

Noah cradled Luke's face and kissed his lips, licked them and sucked on his bottom lip, imitating what he'd done to his dick.

Luke whimpered several times and tried to pull Noah closer, but Noah moved his hips back. "I have to go Luke. Sorry."

"Oh alright." Luke pouted. "I'll find something to do."

"Heh, heh." Noah smiled. "Let me guess...."

"NO!" Luke laughed. "I think I'll make the bed and do some housework. Call me when you do something about Zachary."

"Will do." Noah said kissing Luke on the lips again, then he stepped away and stared at Luke's body. He shook his head, whistled and muttered, "Damn you're fine."

"And all yours." Luke grinned lopsidedly.

"Got that right." Noah said sternly.

Just as Noah was walking down the hall on the third story at GQ, Mrs. Connor called him into her office. Fear clenched his stomach. Without speaking, he entered her office and sat in the chair across from her. She crossed her arms and rested them on her desk. Leaning forward, she quizzed, "I want to know what happened to our model, Zachary. He couldn't be used in the shoot yesterday because he was hit on the jaw and he had a big red mark on it. Which by today, I'm assuming is a nasty bruise."

"I can explain-" Noah began, but was cut off.

"You'd better do some explaining. That incident cost us money." Mrs. Connor said angrily, looking at the slight bruise under Noah's eye,

"I realize that, but you have to understand that Zachary has been propositioning me, touching me inappropriately and he's been awfully rude and obscene."

Mrs. Connor stared at Noah and said, "Go on."

"Well Luke, the model I shot yesterday, and I were in the dressing room. . Zachary came in and began to undress."

"Noah, for god's sake, that's common practice. Our models are professionals."

"No. Zachary isn't. He grabbed Luke's hand and placed it on his, er, penis."

Mrs. Connor stood up abruptly. She pressed her lips together and asked, "And this is when Zachary got hit and he hit you back in self defense?"

"Uh, yes. Luke hit him. I got hit because I stepped in front of Luke and took the hit that was meant for Luke- to protect him."

Mrs. Connor shook her head and crossed her arms. "I talked to Zachary you know. He says everything was the other way around. That you and Luke were forcing him into a threesome and when he tried to get away, Luke hit him and threatened to break his nose."

Noah was standing in less than an instant. He yelled, "What the fuck? You cannot believe him! Please tell me you don't believe that piece of shit! He's a liar Mrs. Connor!"

"Calm down Noah and take your seat." she said glaring at Noah. "I don't know what to believe at this time. On the one hand, you did warn me before about not wanting to work with him for a few of the reasons you've already stated, but isn't it possible that Zachary got the wrong idea from Luke? Maybe Luke did touch him and Zachary felt threatened or like he couldn't speak up."

"No! Luke is my boyfriend, and remember, I was there. Luke is NOT like that, he's actually pretty shy." Noah said angrily at Mrs. Connors insinuations.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Well, how do we go about finding a solution for this problem Noah?"

"Er, I have no idea. I just know that Zachary uses his good looks and his flirty mouth to get what he wants from you. He'll sweet talk you so that in your eyes he never seems to do anything wrong. He talks dirty and provocatively to me all the time. He insulted Luke was very sexual towards him. I want to castrate the prick for making Luke touch his dirty cock!"

"How does Luke feel?"

"The same if not worse! Zachary pressed his lower half, NAKED lower half, against me right in front of Luke. Can you blame him for hauling off and hitting him? I don't."

"Yes, well that still leaves us in a conundrum." Mrs. Connor stated. "You may go- and don't worry, Zachary has the week off to let that bruise on his face heal."

"Good. I don't think I'd be held responsible for what I want to do to him if I saw him anytime soon." Noah stood up and walked to the door.

"Oh wait Noah. One more thing." Mrs. Connor said and watched Noah turn around.

"He might file charges, but I'll put in a good word about you and Luke."

"Thank you." Noah tried to sound polite and calm before leaving Mrs. Connor's office. He tromped down the hall, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. He looked around and ducked into an empty room and closed the door.

"Luke!" Noah shouted with anger that was directed at Zachary and the situation he had been put in. He didn't mean to scare Luke.

Luke was totally caught by surprise, "What? What did I do?" He asked in a high pitched whine. He let go of the clean sheet he was using to remake their bed.

"That motherfu-- UGH! Zachary talked to Mrs. Connor yesterday and told her WE came on to him!" Noah yelled through his clenched teeth as his free hand balled up, into a fist. He slammed it down on the brown table in the room, then winced as the pain traveled up his arm.

"H- He...." Luke gasped. "Noah! I am so sorry! I shouldn't have initiated having oral sex with you, I should have locked the door! I shouldn't have hit him! I shouldn't have agreed to do the shoot! Oh my god!" Luke's lip trembled. He bit down on it as he sank to the bed.

"It's not your fault Luke." Noah said in a reasonably calm way for Luke's benefit. "She doesn't know what to think right now, but I know she believed me when I said we had nothing to do with asking him for sex."

"Noah!" Luke said emotionally, "Are you going to be fired because of me?" Then Luke muttered to himself, "This is all my fault!"

Noah heard Luke's mumbling and replied, "No it's not, it's all Zachary's fault. He fabricated the whole thing. He took advantage of us when we were at our most vulnerable- naked."

"Still.... is there anything I can do? I can come down and talk to Mrs. Connor if you want. I can tell her what happened with us and Zachary." Luke's voice was filled with false hope. He was sure he couldn't help, that he'd only make matters worse, but he had to offer.

"No, that's alright. I'll have to wait to see what happens regarding my job. I don't know what sort of repercussions I'll get for 69'ing with you in the dressing room yet." Noah felt really low now. Defeated and beaten-down emotions replaced feelings of anger for the position he was in.

Luke heard Noah breathing deeply and weightily. He felt helpless to do anything for his boyfriend. "Do you want to meet for lunch somewhere? We can talk... about other things... or just eat. We can spend time together."

"No. I'm not hungry at all. In fact, the acid in my stomach is burning a hole in it." Noah said with the taste of it rising in his throat. "Gotta go!" he yelled and dropped the phone on the table before running to the wastepaper basket, landing on his knees and vomiting what little breakfast he'd eaten into it. He stayed in that position and wept for a few minutes, just until he told himself to be strong and that there was still hope for him as a photographer. He could find another magazine to work at. Granted, he would probably have to go back to 'Hot Men' for a while until another respectable magazine accepted his application, but he thought he could deal with that.

"No I can't! I can't go back to that time in my life when I was hard up for money and took any job I could until I found my dream job. Doing this, working here, IS my dream job. I can't lose it because of that fuck Zachary! I HAVE to do something. What though?" Noah stood up, grabbed a kleenex and wiped his mouth.

Luke answered his phone hesitantly, wondering who was calling him. It seemed as if he'd never get his and Noah's bed made this morning.

"Hello?" Luke asked, sitting back down on the bed and crossing his leg over the other.

"Luke Snyder?"

"Yes."

"Hello. My name is Mrs. Connor. I work here at GQ. I've talked to your boyfriend, Noah Mayer- er, he IS your boyfriend isn't he?" she asked, hoping that Noah hadn't lied to her.

"Yes. We've been together for a while now." Luke brought his hand up and bit on a hangnail.

"Well Luke, I need to you to shed some light on a situation that happened yesterday- when you were here modeling or shortly after. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Not at all." Luke said, spitting out the hangnail. "Go ahead."

"Alright, first lets talk about what happened in the dressing room."

Luke blushed and answered honestly, "Well Noah and I were giving each oth-"

"Specifically when Zachary walked in. I know you were naked because you were going to change. I don't want to know why Noah was undressed or what you and he were doing together. It's best not to tell me or I'd have to reprimand Noah and possibly cut his hours and I don't want to lose my best man."

"He's your best?" Luke grinned, feeling extremely proud of Noah- HIS man.

"Yes he is one of the best. He can take a picture of dog shit and make it sell." she laughed.

Luke giggled before telling her about what happened.

Mrs. Connor was settled. Noah's and Luke's stories coincided perfectly.

"Thank you Luke. I am greatly appreciative of your cooperation. Do you think I could ask one more favor of you? I'll give you all the time you need to think about it."

"Sure." Luke answered as he stood up. He listened intently and nodded while Mrs. Connor continued to speak.

"I'll give it some thought and get back to you." Luke promised. He closed his phone, set it on his computer desk and sighed audibly. He had a lot of thinking to do, then he had a lot of talking to do with Noah. She wanted him to fulfill the rest of Zachary's contract as a model.

Noah knocked on Mrs. Connor's door with the intention of quitting. He had no proof, nothing tangible to show her that he was telling the truth- just his word.

"Come in." Mrs. Connor said loudly without looking who it was and held up a finger – signaling 'wait' and 'don't speak'.

Noah waited in the doorway, watching her listening to someone on the phone. She said severely. "That's the way it's going to be Mr. Turner." She waited again while 'Mr. Turner' spoke in her ear. She looked up, saw Noah and waved him in, then pointed to the chair where he'd been sitting not less than twenty minutes before. She smiled at him, then turned her chair and said into the phone, "No, I will not reconsider. We're through. Kaput. This is a serious matter and I'm taking care of it in the way I need to. Good day." she said sharply. She turned her chair back to her desk and slammed her phone down. "That bastard." she muttered angrily, then looked up at Noah and suddenly smiled.

"Noah, I'm glad you-"

"Uh, Mrs. Connor," Noah interrupted. "I want to give you my resignation. I know photographers are a dime a dozen and that there are only so many models out there that have Zachary's look." He looked down, but not before catching the look of bewilderment on her face.

"I won't accept it Noah." She stated serious as she leaned forward on her desk. "You are staying. I just told Zachary's agent that our contract is null and void. He threatened to take us to court and I threatened to take Zachary to court for sexually harassing my number one photographer and another model, Luke."

"But--"

Mrs. Connor held up her hand to stop Noah from speaking and said, "He backed down and tried to make it sound as if Zachary was under stress and that was the cause of his actions, but I know better."

"So... he's...." Noah's stomach fluttered with excitement.

"Zachary is fired and if he comes into this building he'll be escorted out by our security guards." Mrs. Connor smiled.

"How did you know? I mean, even I wouldn't have believed me-- I mean, I did tell the truth, but how--"

"I took the liberty of calling Mr. Luke Snyder-"

"Luke? MY Luke? Why?" Noah sputtered and wiggled uncomfortably in the chair.

"Settle down." Mrs. Connor snickered. "We had a great chat and he confirmed everything you've said that happened in the dressing room. He said there were other incidences between you and Zachary as well, but he didn't go into detail. He said I could ask you about them."

"Uh, I'd rather not tell you. You know," Noah reddened. "since Zachary is out of here anyway."

"I understand you don't want to embarrass yourself further Noah, or shall I say, you don't want to reveal the embarrassing things he'd done to you?"

"Embarrassing and humiliating." Noah nodded as he looked down. He put his hands flat on her desk to push himself up, but she stopped him by saying, "One more thing before you go-"

Noah glanced up and saw her face. "Yes?" _'Uh-Oh, now the punishment for being naked in the dressing room with Luke.'_ Noah grimaced as he waited with bated breath.

"You and Luke take care now." Mrs. Connor smiled. "That is all."

"Thank you Mrs. Connor. Thank you so much." Noah reached for her hand and shook it.

"Don't thank me. I apologize for not listening to you in the first place. Had I known it was this serious, well, I thought it was more of a verbal thing and that you could handle it."

"That's my fault. I didn't go into detail. Anyway, I'm running behind. See you later." Noah waved and left. As soon as he was in the hallway, he raised his hand, made a fist and brought it down, saying "Yessss!"

Noah entered the studio. _Whew_ He let out a breath, releasing most of the tension that had built up since he'd come to work. He knew what would release the rest of it, but he couldn't go home to Luke right now. He had a job to do and he wanted to impress Mrs. Connor. He really didn't need to impress her because she chose him over Zachary, but he wanted to work his balls off for the rest of the week to show everyone how serious he was about his work. Some might get wind that he and Luke had a hand in getting Zachary fired and he needed to stay in good graces with them by working his fingers to the bone and pull some extra weight.

"Is it true?" Martha, the makeup lady and Jorge, the hair designer, confronted Noah.

"Is what true?" Noah asked, ducking his head and clutching his camera bag. _'How do things get spread around here so fast?'_

"That you and Luke beat up Zachary and got him fired?" Jorge asked with look of curiosity. "Did he give you that bruise under your eye?"

Noah touched the tender bruise and raised his head. "Yes, he was going to hit Luke and I stepped in and took the punch instead. And no, we did not beat him up. Luke did hit him though after Zachary made an obscene move on me."

"Good for you!" Martha hugged him. "None of us had any respect for that arrogant asshole. He thought he was better than any of us. Always telling us how to do our job, what a bastard."

Jorge agreed, "He certainly was, but he was also easy on the eyes." he snickered.

Martha rolled her eyes and stated, "That may be, but it doesn't change the fact that he was shameless and his behavior was insulting to us all. I say good riddance."

Noah glanced at Martha and Jorge with appreciation. "Thanks you two. It means a lot to me that you're backing me up."

"Of course we'll back you up- anytime. You're one of us!" Jorge exclaimed with a huge grin on his face, then he took a hesitant step forward and hugged Noah.

Noah hugged back and said, "Thank god for friends like you."

**CHAPTER: 38**

RATED: PG-13 for language.

SUMMARY: NOTE this is weeks later

WARNING: Out of Character, AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*My Mistaked, My Editing.

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[weeks have passed]

~~**~~

Kris sat quietly at the breakfast table. He knew something was wrong with Taylor. When Kris confronted him about it, Taylor insisted that 'nothing is wrong' or he would deny that he was in a bad mood. When Kris asked why Taylor didn't feel like making love, Taylor's excuse was that he was too tired. It had almost been two weeks and Kris was discouraged, not to mention fearful. Taylor also had been very quiet and hadn't sought out any conversations with him, Luke, or Noah. Taylor had moments where he was impatient and would snap at his roommates. Other times he acted indifferent. Kris even asked Luke and Noah if they knew what was wrong with Taylor. Luke said he had no idea and Noah suggested that Kris ask Taylor what was wrong. He didn't want to get involved with the Taylor-Gavin mess.

Taylor took a piece of toast off the plate near the center of the table and ate it dry. He ate in silence while there was soft chatter around him.

_'What am I doing? What am I going to do? No, I'm ONLY having lunch with Gavin today. We're not going to some motel to fuck. I have no reason to feel guilty. __None whatsoever. It's an innocent lunch... yea, keep saying that. If it's so innocent, then why didn't I mention it to Kris? If I'm not doing anything wrong, then why am I taking Gavin's phone calls and not telling my fiancé? Fiancé? Do I want to get married to him? Yes! What a stupid question! Just because Gavin is back doesn't mean I'm going to drop everything and go back to him. I AM attracted to him... so much. He was everything I ever wanted in a man and future husband. We had everything. Had. Past tense. I have to see Gavin and tell him I—'_

"What?" Taylor snapped because Kris had broken into his thoughts. He stared at the blond, waiting for him to speak.

Kris jerked his head back in shock and glanced at Luke and Noah, then looked at Taylor again. "I- I said, you're going to be late." He pointed to the clock on the wall.

"Dammit!" Taylor stood up and turned away from the table. He walked to the door and opened it, ready to leave.

Kris looked back and forth between Noah and Luke with a look of fright.

"Go!" Luke whispered.

"Run to him!" Noah said in a low, effective voice that made Kris jump up from his chair and yell, "Taylor!"

Kris ran to the door just as it closed.

Taylor stood outside the door he'd just closed and closed his eyes. He tilted his head up and muttered, "Shit... Kris."

Kris opened the door just as Taylor turned around.

"God I'm sorry. I was in a hurry."

"It's ok." Kris shrugged. He didn't believe Taylor, but he didn't want to accuse him of something and be wrong... or right for that matter. He just knew it had to be bad. Why else would Taylor be so preoccupied? He never, never forgot to kiss Kris goodbye.

"Well, hurry. Like you said inside, I'm going to be late." Taylor leaned forward.

"Taylor?" Kris asked, almost ashamedly, "Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No. Why?" Taylor cocked his head to the side.

"Oh nothing. Can we meet for lunch? I want to talk to you and I want your undivided attention." Kris took Taylor's hands and held them tightly.

"Today?"

"Yes." Kris grinned. "My treat. We can go--" He stopped speaking when he saw Taylor shaking his head. Kris dropped Taylor's hands and stepped away. "Maybe some other time."

"I can't today. I have to do something." Taylor said. It wasn't really a full out lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either.

"Got it." Kris said bleakly, wondering why he'd even asked. Taylor hadn't been receptive to anything Kris wanted to do lately. "I'm going in." Kris pointed to the door behind him. "See you after work."

"Can you catch the city bus to school today?" Taylor asked, watching Kris retreat.

"Yea. Bye." Kris turned and dashed back inside without his kiss goodbye. _'What was that? He's acting so weird! I have a feeling this has to do with Gavin. I'm going to lose him to Gavin. They're more suited to each other. Hell, they would have been married had it not been for the unfortunate circumstance that Gavin moved. Now he's back. Probably wanting to pick up right where they left off- maybe Taylor wants to also? What am I going to do? Be strong. Maybe my imagination is running away from me again?'_

"Well?" Luke asked when Kris entered the dining room again.

"Nothing. Nada. He left." Kris sat down and finished his juice before he cleared his place setting.

"We have to do something." Luke whispered to Noah.

"No." Noah shook his head. "Leave things alone."

Luke sighed and looked down. He picked up a segment of an orange and ate it. "Fine I won't interfere."

"Good boy." Noah smiled as he patted Luke's leg. "I have to go too. Give me an orange flavored kiss." he said and leaned over. Luke's mouth crashed into Noah's. He parted his mouth and tussled with Noah's tongue. He heard Noah growling animalistically. He growled back, encouraging Noah to magnify their state of arousal, but Noah didn't bite.

Noah pulled away, shaking a finger at Luke. "You... You..."

Luke smiled innocently. "What?"

"I have to work. I can't stay and poke and prod you with my tool." Noah teased.

"Oh, well that's not what I wanted. I wanted to pierce and spear you with my hot, stiff rod." Luke teased back.

"Jeeesus!" Noah gave Luke a sexy, look. "Later."

Luke nodded as he looked at Noah with his seductive eyes. "You bet your ass."

"Promise?" Noah grinned, playing along.

"I promise." Luke smiled and stood up in his cotton shorts. He put his thumbs in the waistband and asked, "Want a preview of what's to 'cum'?" he giggled.

Noah held up his hand and shook his head. With a chuckle he answered, "Not now. You're a terrific, fantastic fuck, but it's not worth being late and getting fired for."

"Yea, you're right." Luke said with a fake pout and flashed Noah anyway.

"Oh God!" Noah stared, eying everything before him before it disappeared.

"Ha ha. See you tonight." Luke said walking away to help Kris in the kitchen.

~~**~~

On his way to see Gavin at the agreed upon restaurant, Taylor kept thinking about Gavin, then Kris. He gave himself a headache, so in the parking lot he took the bottle of aspirin from the glove compartment and took two without water. He took a deep breath and got out of his car.

Inside the quaint Italian restaurant, he saw Gavin waiting near the bar. He approached him, noting the professional attire he was wearing. He always looked good in a suit, Taylor thought to himself.

Gavin's face lit up when he saw Taylor. He hugged him and said, "You look amazing."

"Thanks, you look great yourself, but you always did- whatever you wore." Taylor complimented him.

"Thank you." Gavin smiled charmingly at Taylor before he asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"No thanks, but I am starving." Taylor said. Gavin waved to the hostess, then they were shown to a table and sat across from each other. Taylor picked up his menu, but Gavin studied Taylor.

"Alright, what gives?" Gavin asked with one brow raised.

Taylor looked up and shrugged, "Eh, it's nothing really."

Gavin frowned and said, "Don't feed me that horse shit Taylor. I know you better than you think."

"Fine." Taylor stated, slapping the menu on the table. "I don't think Kris is ready to be a dad, or get married for that matter. He's young and I'm afraid he does things just to please me. Like the baby. He knows I'm excited about it and he says he is too, but his actions tell me he's not."

"Just because he didn't show an interest in going to the prenatal appointment?"

"That and other things. I wonder if I'm pushing him?"

"Some people need a push."

"Gavin, I don't want to be married with a child then a couple of years or months down the road he decides that it's not what HE wanted, that it was what I wanted and he felt stuck with me the whole time." Taylor said animatedly.

"Yea," Gavin said lacing his fingers together and resting them on the table. "I can see why you're worried."

"We met less than a year ago- I was his 'first' too." Taylor winced.

"Oh wow." Gavin shook his head. "Moving kind of fast aren't you?"

"Tell me about it." Taylor answered. "He's never sown his wild oats, well once he did."

"Only once?" Gavin took a deep breath. "Taylor... I don't understand why you're telling me this."

"I want your opinion."

"It sounds like a train wreck." Gavin joked. "Honestly, I don't know. That's your choice to make."

"I don't want to raise my baby alone. I want him or her to be in a loving family."

"There are a lot of one parent families out there. You had this talk with me, remember?"

"I know, but I want my family the way I want it." Taylor said stubbornly.

"Ok." Gavin backed down.

"Sorry." Taylor apologized. "I've been under so much stress since that one night with you. It felt like you never left. It was so odd."

"I know. I felt it too." Gavin looked down. "Taylor? If you're seriously having doubts about marrying Kris... Well, since you and I feel the same way about each other and it's like nothing has changed between us, I'd be happy to pick up where we left off before I moved away. I'll help you raise the baby and we can get married later if you want to. I'm just putting it out there as an option. You know I still care about you and I never really stopped loving you."

Taylor hesitated, then agreeing with him he admitted, "I know, me too."

**CHAPTER: 39 – Parts A & B**

SUMMARY: **Note That this a couple more Weeks later than the last chp.**** Taylor is more distant. Kris is catching on and wants to do something about it and shows signs of maturing. Luke goes to work with Noah to model.**

WARNING: Out of Character. A.U.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*My own editing and mistakes.

It had been weeks since Taylor groped and made out with Gavin and he'd successfully kept it from Kris, however, guilt was a burden he didn't like to wear.

"Noah." Taylor whispered one night to his roommate before they all went to their bedrooms. Taylor nodded to the balcony and was relieved when Noah followed him out.

"What?" Noah asked as he slid the door closed, then turned to Taylor. "Wow. It's a beautiful night huh? Cool with a slight breeze. Perfect." Noah inhaled and let out his breath slowly. "It's so fragrant. Those flowers surrounding the pool," Noah looked over the rail. "what are they?"

"Noah man," Taylor grabbed Noah's arm and turned him. "Look at me dammit!"

"What's the big deal?" Noah shook Taylor's arm off his bicep. "I could take you out you know." he teased.

"Shut the fuck up!" Taylor said anxiously, looking through the glass door to make sure Luke and Kris weren't there. It was all clear. "Listen to me for a goddamn minute would you?"

Noah became somber right away, seeing how serious Taylor was. "Sure. Sorry."

But when it was Taylor's turn to talk, he couldn't. He ran his hand through his hair several times while muttering curse words under his breath.

Noah became alarmed. He suspected correctly that this was about Gavin. He whispered, "Say it. Whatever it is, tell me and we'll figure out what to do together." He rubbed Taylor's back to comfort him and didn't expect the gesture to cause his roommate to turn into his body to hug him.

"Noah, Noah..... I'm so fucked up confused. .Confused!" Taylor said half angrily at himself and the other half disappointed in himself.

"What happened? Did you tell Kris about kissing Gavin?" Noah asked, holding Taylor at arms length to look at his face.

"No. No, I didn't.... but I need to. I have to." Taylor bit his lower lip.

"I don't think you should. We talked about this."

"There's more Noah. I've... shit..." Taylor shook his head miserably. "I've been having lunch with Gavin a twice a week since we kissed that one time and I've also been talking to him on my cell phone at LEAST once a day."

Noah paled when his heart stopped. "But..." was all that he could say. His mind was at a loss.

"I know I've been acting all weird and shit and this is why. I feel conflicted. I don't know what to do. I- I love them both Noah. I've never, ever had this problem before."

"D-" Noah shook his head, trying to get the force of the impact of what Taylor told him out of his mind. He had to think rationally here. "Did you tell Kris about this?"

"No. I don't know how to." Taylor turned, leaned over the railing of the balcony and spit over the side.

Noah stared at Taylor's back and asked, "What about Gavin?"

"What about him?" Taylor lowered his head.

"I don't know! How about the fact that he came back into your life and turned everything upside down?"

Taylor stood up. "It's not his fault. Our feelings for each other never diminished or changed. It's difficult to explain."

"Oh sure, defend him." Noah scowled.

"He didn't do anything wrong Noah!" Taylor yelled.

"Fine, he didn't. You did! **You** did. Just what exactly do you want from me?"

"I don't know." Taylor paused as he thought, then he answered Noah, "Actually, can you tell me how I should resolve this? Should I tell Kris and risk losing him?" Taylor closed his eyes. He didn't want to lose Kris. "No, I can't lose him."

"So, let me get this right. You want to stay engaged to Kris, get married and raise a child with him, but yet, you want to keep seeing Gavin because you love him too? Why don't you all just live together as one big happy family? Buy a king sized bed and you can sleep in the middle, with your husband on one side and your lover on the other."

"Noah!"

Noah snarled. "I hate what you're doing behind Kris's back! I know I told you not to tell him about making out with Gavin, but now I think it was a gigantic mistake. It let you go out with Gavin behind Kris's back because you had nothing to fear- you had no repercussions to worry about because Kris didn't know!"

"Maybe, but I didn't want to hurt him either."

"Yea, you keep saying that, but the fact of the matter is- is that you already have hurt him and he doesn't even know it yet." Noah tapped his temple before saying, "But I suspect he knows what's going on. He's suspicious and so is Luke."

"Ok, I'll tell him. I'll come clean and risk everything. I hope he underst-"

"Don't! Don't say it because NO ONE would understand what you've done, what you're doing."

"I didn't sleep with the guy!"

"So? You think sneaking around doing other things is excusable behavior for ignoring your fiancé? You know, Kris confides in Luke and he told him that you two haven't made love in a long time. See Taylor? He knows something is up and maybe he's waiting for you to come clean."

Taylor nodded with a sigh. "Thanks for your input Noah. I respect your opinion. I think I know what I have to do."

Noah gave Taylor a quick hug before going inside to bed. Taylor walked back inside, laid on the couch and turned on the tv.

A few minutes later, Kris walked into the living room in just a pair of white briefs and sat on the armrest of the couch. "Aren't you coming to bed?" he asked Taylor.

"Maybe later. I want to watch the news." Taylor lied. He needed to think of a tactful way to admit to what he'd been doing behind Kris's back.

Kris looked at the tv, then back to Taylor. He touched Taylor's foot and saw it flinch.

"Sorry." Taylor apologized for the action. "You scared me."

"Right." Kris said softly with his eyes downcast. "Taylor?"

"Hm?" he answered, staring at the tv because he was unable to meet Kris's eyes.

"Let's meet for lunch tomorrow. I have some things I want to get off my chest."

"We can talk now. Go ahead. Say what you want to say, then get to bed you have school in the morning."

"What? Taylor! Don't talk to me like that! I'm not a child and you're not either one of my parents."

"Sorry." Taylor sighed. "What do you want to talk about."

"Tomorrow. I want to get my thoughts in order. Let's meet at 1pm at--"

Taylor interrupted Kris rudely. He sat up and asked, "Tomorrow? No fucking way! I can't. What is this about anyway? You just can't spring this shit on me like this!"

"Why can't you?" Kris asked feebly and crossed his arms as if to shield himself from Taylor's severe expression and sharp pronunciation of words. He wanted to go hide in the bedroom, but he was slowly manning up and taking control of his life, even if Taylor wasn't giving him the attention he was used to. Kris wanted to get to the bottom of it. Just hash it out and be done with it so he could get on with his life. He hadn't been sleeping very well and it was really hard to concentrate on homework and taking tests when he was worried about his relationship.

"I just can't. Go on now." Taylor said dismissively.

Kris wasn't about to leave without having his say. He stood up and stated angrily, "I don't know what's going on exactly, but I know this has something to do with Gavin! We're not done with this!" Kris stared at Taylor, seeing the battle within his blue eyes. He waited for a denial or words of comfort. When none came, he yelled. "You better come clean asshole."

Taylor looked at Kris. Shocked by his fiancé's attitude, he blurted, "Dinner, tomorrow night at Rosa's?"

"Fine." Kris growled.

"Goodnight Kris." Taylor said.

Kris understood Taylor's subtly- Taylor wasn't going to be sleeping in the bedroom tonight because he just told Kris goodnight in the living room. He hated the fact that he hadn't heard one word of endearment from Taylor's lips in almost a month, that he hadn't been called any pet name, just 'Kris', and that Taylor's I Love You's only came after Kris said it first.

"Goodnight Taylor." Kris said, feeling his body go numb. "Love you and thanks a lot for the kiss." he muttered sarcastically as he walked away.

"Get you freakin' hot butt over here, now!" Luke whisper-yelled in the dark.

Noah turned over his shoulder. "Shhh!"

"You shouldn't be eavesdropping on Taylor and Kris." Luke sat up in bed. He stared at Noah's half naked body. Curiosity got the better of him. He asked unashamedly, "What are they saying?"

Noah held back a chuckle at Luke's question as he walked away from the partially open bedroom door. "They're having a disagreement." he said sadly.

"About what?" Luke asked worriedly. "Kris and Taylor? No way! Although, I gotta say, Taylor has been acting really bizarre lately. Did they say anything?"

"Er... no." Noah lied, then said, "Well... yea, but I was told in confidence."

Luke giggled and patted the bed. "There is NO confidentiality in our relationship Noah. We promised open and honest. So? Spill." Luke exclaimed eagerly as he lowered himself onto his back.

Noah laid next to Luke and told him, leaving nothing out. When Luke didn't speak for a while, Noah reached out and touched his bare leg. Luke gasped and put his hand over Noah's. "I can't believe it. I can't. That is why Taylor... man... it makes so much sense now. Why didn't I see it before? God I want to go down there and beat that jerk up."

"Luke, it's Kris's fight. We have to stay out of it." Noah whispered in Luke's ear as he caressed Luke's thigh.

"I know. This sucks. They're supposed to get married and raise a kid."

"It sucks big time. I'm glad we're taking things slow." Noah smiled in the dark.

"Yea..." Luke frowned because he wished they weren't taking things this slow, but Luke admired Noah's honesty and didn't want to rush him into marriage. "It wouldn't be so bad if Taylor had just told Kris that he had lunch 'dates' with Gavin and that they'd been talking on the phone, but Taylor had to make what he was doing seem so secretive and conniving. That's what's going to get him in trouble with Kris. Well, that and the fact that Taylor thinks he's in love with two men."

"They're going to go out to eat and talk about it." Noah said, his hand slowly dragging up Luke's body, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Luke breathed in and smiled with the sensation of Noah's warm hands on his body, causing him to shiver in delight. He became serious again and said, "Noah, we should let them talk here, not at a stupid restaurant. How are they going to have any privacy in a roomful of people? Besides," Luke said sexily, "when they're done, they'll already be home to have some awesome makeup sex."

"M'm, sounds good. So, where do we go while they're battling it out?" Noah asked, kissing Luke's shoulder several times in a row.

"We can go out to eat, or if you'd like, we can go shopping. I need a new pair of shoes." Noah lifted Luke's arm and dove his face, nose first, into Luke's armpit.

Luke laughed and tried to bring his arm down, knocking Noah on the head with his elbow. "What are you doing?" Luke asked, still laughing.

Noah held his head where Luke accidentally hit him and said, "You smell so good."

"It's a new shower gel." Luke tousled Noah's hair. "Passion fruit or something."

"Delicious." Noah said, licking his lips. "Do you... uh... use it ALL over?"

Luke chuckled, "Yes. ALL over my body."

"Mmm..." Noah smacked his lips.

The kitchen was crowded in the morning. Everyone was milling about, getting their own breakfast.

Kris observed how Luke and Noah were interacting, intentionally rubbing up against each other, a light touch here and there, a kiss placed on the temple or the back of the neck.... Then he looked at Taylor, who was facing the counter, sipping his coffee as he waited for an english muffin to pop out of the toaster.

Kris approached him from behind and kissed his neck, completely startling him.

"Dammit Kris!" He turned and continued to snap, "This is my good shirt and you almost made me spill coffee on it!"

"So. Buy a new one!" Kris yelled and bumped Taylor's shoulder on purpose when he exited the kitchen. He sat at the dining room table thinking about tonight. The day was already of to a rocky start. It couldn't get worse, right? _'Who am I kidding? It's going to get a lot worse. Taylor has to be seeing Gavin on the side. __Has to be. There's no other reason for his idiotic outburst about a fucking shirt. How am I going to deal with this? However I chose to do it will decide our fate. I have to be calm and collected about this. I know he's going to tell me tonight. I have all day to get prepared to take the news. I am NOT going back to that clinic for having another 'episode'. God this hurts... I don't want to lose him. I love him, but if I don't make him happy and Gavin can, then he deserves to be with Gavin. Besides, if he stays with me out of obligation or because he feels sorry for me, that would be the worst environment to raise a baby in. I have to think of the baby.'_

Luke sat down next to Kris and handed him a cup of coffee. He said sympathetically, "Taylor is in a bad way, are you alright?"

"Amazingly, yes, I am-- for the moment." Kris picked up the mug and drank from it.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, questioning Kris's state of mind. "I'd be angry, but you don't seem upset."

Kris shrugged. "He's obviously stressed out about something. I can't get upset about something I can't control. I certainly can't get upset about him taking stuff out on me- for whatever his reason is. I'll get to the bottom of it soon enough."

"Wow." Luke said, sitting back in the wooden dining room chair. "It's like you grew up."

"Yea, well. I'm sick of always being the 'youngest' one and treated as such." Kris said, his eyes following Taylor to the table.

Noah kissed Luke on the head and sat next to him. "Oh, Kris and Taylor. Luke and I will be gone for supper, so if you wanted to stay in we won't be here to disturb you." Noah said in a nonchalant way. He couldn't let on that he heard that they were going out to eat tonight. They would know he had eavesdropped.

"Actually we are going-" Taylor began.

"Actually, that's great!" Kris spoke up. "Talking here would be better than a noisy restaurant, right Taylor?" he smirked.

"Ah, sure." Taylor met Kris's eyes. Tears developed in them, making them glimmer, and he quickly looked away. As hard as he was trying to push Kris away, he couldn't. He couldn't stop loving him. Yes, he was being incredibly selfish and inattentive to Kris's needs, but that was all part of the plan to prove to himself that after all these weeks, he wouldn't want Kris in his life. But it proved nothing except that he really wanted Kris. If anything, it proved that he loved him even more. It was extremely frustrating because he felt the same way about Gavin and in his confusion, he'd been unfairly lashing out.

"Good." Luke smiled at Noah. "Shoe shopping it is."

Noah chuckled and sipped his juice.

Taylor couldn't eat. He left his english muffin at the table and stood up. "I'm going to head out."

Kris nodded. He was used to taking the bus every morning now. He missed Taylor driving him to campus, but he was dealing with that change as well.

Taylor slowly walked to the door, then stopped and turned. He waited for a few moments, then frowned. Kris always came to the door to get a kiss since Taylor had stopped initiating giving him kisses goodbye at the table, but today Kris hadn't. Why was that?

"Kris?" Taylor said loudly.

"What?" Kris asked before biting into a piece of buttered toast.

"Would you come here for a second?" Taylor asked, looking at the ceiling.

"Why?" Kris asked, smiling at Luke. Noah covered his mouth and cleared his throat. Luke shook his head at Kris and pointed in the direction of the front door as he mouthed, 'Go'.

"No." Kris said to Luke.

Taylor sighed loudly and said, "Just come here quickly." _'I just want a kiss goodbye. Is that too much to ask?'_

"I can't right now. I'm eating breakfast with my friends. Maybe later." he laughed, trying to take a serious situation and turn it into something silly. There would be enough time to be serious later. He knew that to be a fact.

They all heard Taylor cursing angrily and stomping heavily back to the dining room. He stood before Kris and pulled him up forcefully. "I want a kiss goodbye." he said, staring into Kris's fear filled eyes.

"S-Sorry." Kris stuttered, drawing his eyebrows together.

Taylor closed his eyes and let Kris go. When he opened them, he lovingly looked Kris in the eye and said in a tender voice, "God, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to man-handle you, yell at you or make you kiss me if you don't want to Kris. Do you want a kiss goodbye?"

Kris nodded, his eyes as large as saucers and glistening with tears. This was the Taylor he knew and loved.

Luke and Noah busied themselves with their breakfast as Taylor took Kris's breath away with one long kiss.

"Thank you Kris." Taylor said after he hugged him. "I love you."

"I love you." Kris responded, seeing a myriad of emotions in Taylor's eyes before he left for work.

After Kris left for school, Luke and Noah left together. Noah was taking Luke's picture today for a cologne ad. He'd be pictured in an expensive suit. On his arm would be a gorgeous model wearing a beautiful gown.

Noah was glad to be working with Luke and he looked forward to seeing him for most of the day, but Luke could be annoying. This was Noah's job and he took it seriously.

In the studio, Luke talked, laughed and joked with everyone in the room. Even the model named Desiree that he was posing with was laughing so hard at one point that she had tears running down her face and had to get her makeup redone. Luke didn't seem to care that it was costing the magazine money. Noah thought that Luke didn't think of this as a job, but more of a gathering place for acquaintances to mingle and catch up.

"Luke!" Noah muttered near Luke's ear. "Knock off the jokes and shit. You're here to work."

"I'm just having a little fun Noah. Relax." Luke smiled.

"This is not fun, this is work. You're making it hard for me to finish the job, not to mention, all these workers in here-" He swept his arm across the room while Luke followed it. "are getting restless. They want a break soon and I just want to get done."

Luke pouted and casually played with the collar on Noah's shirt. "You're no fun. I thought it would be cool hanging out with you, but you're all work and no play."

"Save the play for the bedroom Luke." Noah said in a serious manner.

"Fine." Luke looked into Noah's eyes playfully.

"That's all I'm asking." Noah smiled. "Thanks for cooperating."

Luke smirked and turned around when Desiree announced she was back from make up and ready to begin shooting again. Luke and Desiree got into position and posed. Noah readied the camera and was about to shoot when he saw a small smile on Luke's face.

"Luke..."

"Sorry." Luke lost his smile and looked confident- the way this particular cologne was supposed to make you feel when you're with a beautiful girl.

Noah looked through the viewfinder again. Desiree had a gorgeous smile and she was looking at Luke, who was looking at the camera.... but... with a devilish twinkle in his eye.

Noah sighed. He took several pictures anyway, then he moved his camera to the right for a different shot. As Noah was adjusting his camera and the lighting, he made tiny noises he was unaware of. Small grunts when he picked up the tripod, then a loud whimper when he accidentally banged his fingers against a prop. He immediately stuck his index finger in his mouth to suck the pain away. Once the sting was gone, Noah popped his finger out of his mouth, shook it, and got ready to take Desiree and Luke's picture. He took one look at Luke, rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh Luke..."

"Can't help it Noah." Luke answered, turning red and staying as still as possible in his pose. He'd been listening to Noah's sounds and watching him suck on his finger and couldn't stop his body from reacting.

"Go." Noah waved Luke off the set.

Luke dashed to the dressing room with his face flushed bright pink and his slacks not so slack in the front. He sat on the chair thinking about Noah's finger and the way he slipped it into his mouth after he hurt it. Luke thought he was sucking on it sensually. The thoughts only exacerbated the situation, so he thought about Kris and Taylor. Eventually, the rock hardness in his pants went away, then he crossed his fingers, hoping that Noah wouldn't accidentally bang his cock on the edge of a table or something. He giggled as he exited the dressing room and went back to work.

Kris went to the memorial union and hung outside for a while. He couldn't bring himself to take a bus home just yet. He watched another bus leave and decided to take the next one.

He didn't want this confrontation. He knew what it entailed and he was ready to fight for what he wanted, which was Taylor, but he was afraid he wasn't what Taylor wanted. He wished he had the balls to confront Gavin.

Kris noted the time. Taylor would be home now, waiting, wondering where he was, but he wouldn't call. Taylor hardly ever called his cell phone anymore, which hurt Kris's feelings. Even though Kris called him, it usually went to voice mail. Sometimes Taylor would call back, sometimes he wouldn't. If he happened to answer, he seemed faraway and detached.

A bus screeched to a halt in front of him. He frowned with his negative thoughts and cautiously stepped inside.

~~**~~

"You know," Noah said, holding Luke's hand as they walked into the 'Nike' store. "I wish I had taken a picture of you with that hard on."

"Shut up!" Luke laughed, looking around. "Over there are men's shoes." he said pointing.

Noah walked with him down an aisle. "No one could tell unless they were looking right there." He reached his hand out and grazed his index finger up and down on Luke's soft cock.

"M'm." Luke stepped away, grinning widely. "Stop that or we'll never get out of here."

"We have to take our time. Taylor and Kris need to talk their shit out." Noah reminded Luke.

"You're right." Luke looked around and picked up an athletic shoe. "Here's a nice shoe, do they have a dressing room where I can try it on?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Noah laughed, "You don't try shoes on in a dressing room dork. Oh! You mean...."

~~**~~

Kris took a deep breath before putting his key in the door and unlocking it. He took a tentative step inside and closed the door behind himself. He set his backpack down, seeing Taylor sitting on the couch with a beer.

"How was school?" Taylor asked without getting up.

"Fine. How was work?"

Taylor drank from his can of beer and shrugged. "Alright."

Kris kicked off his shoes and walked to the recliner. He remembered sitting in it the day he was discharged from the clinic. He wanted to cry as he lowered himself onto the chair facing Taylor.

"You start." Kris stated, controlling the emotion in his voice.

"Why don't you get something to drink first?" Taylor asked, drinking the rest of his beer.

"I don't want anything. Start at the beginning. What the hell is going on?" Kris asked in a steady voice.

Taylor turned away from Kris and looked out the sliding glass doors. He laid his head back and said, "I saw Gavin for lunch today.... and more than a few other times. We've also been talking on the phone."

Kris sighed in relief. "Is that all?" he let out a short laugh. "God I thought it was-"

"We've kissed." Taylor admitted softly, but still loud enough for Kris to hear. He wanted this over with, without sugarcoating it, without stalling, just over. Still facing away from Kris, he said, "I'm confused Kris. I don't know what to do."

To Kris, it seemed the air had been sucked out of the room. He gasped quietly.

"I love you, but I love him too. I guess that's why I've been so mean, so distant. I'm sorry. I have a feeling I know what you're going through, and I'm sorry for that. I just can't make up my mind. I can't choose. I don't want to lose you, but I don't want to lose him either."

Kris bit his lip to keep from crying or yelling. He wanted to know everything first, then he could deal with his emotions and 'feel'.

Kris's voice caught when he spoke, "Have you talked to him? He knows this? He wants you too?"

Taylor nodded, answering in a soft voice, "Yes. He wants what I want. Marriage and a family."

"He- H- He wants to marry you?" Kris asked in a high pitched voice with his brows up high like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes." Taylor said truthfully. He turned back to Kris, then lowered his eyes.

Kris placed his feet on the recliner and brought his knees to his chest, then wrapped his arms around his legs. "The baby?"

"He said he'd help me raise him or her." Taylor watched Kris's expression fall and felt incredibly guilty. He insisted, "Like I said, I don't know what to do. He knows we're talking right now and he wants what's best too. He feels bad that you're going through this."

"Oh how noble of him." Kris spat, then he regained control of his emotions again. He knew he had to act mature if Taylor were to chose him. He asked with a slight edge in the tone of his voice, "Did you sleep with him? Because you sure as hell weren't getting any from me!"

"No! No way!" Taylor said adamantly.

"Well, maybe you should. How else are you going to find out what you want?" Kris retorted.

"What?"

Kris steadied his voice, readied himself, calmed his emotions and explained, "Go fuck his brains out. Maybe you two were meant for each other. At least then maybe you can make a decision."

"On who is the better lover? I don't think so." Taylor grumbled.

"No- not on who is the better lover. On who is the better man for you. You haven't seen him in five years and suddenly he shows up. You kiss, you go out, you talk on the phone- you're basically dating. Now complete the scene and sleep with him."

"What the fucking fuck?"

"Do it. I insist! You'll have a clear head of who you want to be with!" Kris stood up and grabbed Taylor. He pulled him up from the couch with brute force strength.

"This argument makes no sense whatsoever!" Taylor argued.

Kris pushed Taylor to the door and held him there. "Call him!"

"Ok, ok." Taylor shrugged Kris off his body before taking out his cell phone. The temptation to go to Gavin was too great. He had been wondering how it would be to make love to him again. The thoughts had consumed him the past few weeks and he was extremely curious to see if they still had that 'connection'. He definitely felt the spark every time they spoke to each other and saw each other, would it be the same in the bedroom, or was it just lust and not love?

Kris stood back, thinking that he didn't have to try that hard to convince Taylor to do this. He clenched his teeth, willing the fear and tears to go away, telling himself that he could wait until Taylor was gone to let loose and cry. He honestly thought by doing this, it could save his relationship with Taylor. Show him that he was the bigger man, that he wouldn't hold Taylor back from what he wanted to do. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat when he heard Taylor speak into his phone.

"Hi Gavin." Taylor unintentionally spoke with a trace of longing in his voice.

"Hi! You're done talking already? I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." Gavin smiled.

Taylor looked at Kris, but the blond wouldn't glance at him. He covered the phone and said to Kris, "This is crazy."

"No, it's not." Kris said stubbornly and unyielding when he looked up and met Taylor's eyes. Kris's eyes lingered on his, then he glanced away.

Taylor turned away from Kris and spoke into the phone again. "I was wondering if I could come over for a while." he asked in a low voice.

"Sure. I'd love to see you. We could go out for supper."

"No, I'd... rather stay at your apartment and... uh, talk?" Taylor shook his head.

"Talk?" Gavin chuckled. "I thought we talked up a storm at lunch."

Taylor was silent for a few long moments. Gavin finally caught on. He moaned with desire, "Taylor come now. I can't wait any longer. I've waited so long to be with you. When can you get here?"

"I can come now." Taylor replied with a shallow breath, then took a peek at Kris, who nodded at him. "See you soon Gavin."

"I'll be waiting!" Gavin answered with his heart racing and his body reacting to Taylor's deep breathing in his ear. "Bye, love you."

Taylor closed his phone slowly and stuck it back into his pocket. "Well, that's that." he said to Kris. "Are you totally sure about this Kris? I mean, look how you.... er... 'freaked out' about Cassandra. I don't feel right about this. I don't want something bad to happen to you. I DO love you Kris."

"But you also love him. You have to chose. I promise I'll stay safe and not harm myself." Kris said, lacking tone or expression in his voice. "Go before I change my mind."

Taylor reached for the front door handle, but before he laid his hand on it, he took out his phone again. "I'm calling Luke. I don't want you here alone."

"No, I need to be alone. I want to be alone." Kris stated rigidly.

Taylor sighed and nodded. "Ok. It's your decision. Will you be here when I get back?"

"Yes." Kris stared at Taylor's shoes. "I promise."

Taylor cupped Kris's chin and raised his head. He slowly moved in and softly kissed Kris's lips. A moan escaped his throat. He closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against Kris's forehead. "Kris... I...."

Kris reached down and took Taylor's hand. He removed the engagement ring from Taylor's finger and said, "It's your free pass. We're not engaged right now, so you don't have to feel as if you're cheating."

Taylor was speechless. Where did his jealous, clingy fiancé go? He was acting so different that Taylor barely recognized him.

"Gavin is waiting for you. Go to him. Do what you have to do, then come back and talk to me. I don't want details, but I expect you to have made a decision." Kris turned his head, freeing it from Taylor's hold on his chin. He glanced back at Taylor and gave him one nod. "Goodbye." he said as he stepped away.

"I'll see you in a little while." Taylor gulped. Fear and excitement were in plain view in his eyes. Fear that this was certainly ruining a great relationship with Kris and excitement to get the chance to be with Gavin. Taylor turned and left.

Kris went to Taylor's bedroom and gathered what little belongings he had in there and moved them into the blue bedroom. He had an inkling that Taylor would choose Gavin. After all, they had known each other longer and were a perfect fit. Not to mention that during the past month or so, Taylor had been sneaking around to see Gavin behind his back.

Kris fell onto his bed. Too stunned to cry. Too shocked to feel. Too scared to think about what he'd done by letting Taylor go to Gavin. He stared at the ceiling, wondering how long Taylor would be gone, then forcing those images out of his head. He didn't want to think about it.

~~**~~

Taylor knocked on Gavin's apartment door. He was greeted with a huge smile.

"Taylor, you don't know how much this means to me! What happened with Kris? Did you break up?" Gavin asked with concern for Taylor and hope shimmering in his cinnamon colored eyes.

Taylor held up his hand and wiggled his fingers, showing Gavin that his engagement ring was gone. He looked at his hand as well, seeing the paleness around his finger where the ring used to be. He quickly dropped his arm to the side, feeling the slight sting of regret, but it was forgotten when he eyed Gavin's fit body.

Gavin invited Taylor inside and closed the door. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, walking into his living room.

"No." Taylor's one syllable word and the way he said it eagerly and unrestrained, turned Gavin on. Taylor moved close to Gavin and circled his waist with his arms. He looked deeply into Gavin's eyes, then kissed him.

Gavin moaned and began walking Taylor backwards to the bedroom. "You sure about this?"

"Yea." Taylor said, nipping at Gavin's neck.

"They're kissing right now." Kris closed his eyes, mumbling to himself, maybe walking to the bedroom as they're undressing each other" Kris's groan sounded painful when he let it out. "Staring at each others bodies, touching and caressing. No, knowing Taylor and the fact he's been waiting for this, they're probably tearing and ripping each others clothing off. Licking, nibbling and biting. Going at each other like animals. Jacking, sucking, rimming, then fucking hard and fast- then probably again and again until they're both too tired to get it up. I'm making myself crazy. Maybe they're just talking. No they're not... I know what they're doing. I want Taylor to be happy. I have to let him figure this out for himself and he will. It's not about the sex. It's about how Taylor feels afterwards. If he feels guilty, then he'll choose me. If not, he's all Gavin's. If I didn't let him do this, he'd forever be wondering 'what if'."

Tears slipped down the side of Kris's face. He wiped them away, but more came, then the unpreventable shaking started. He turned onto his side and curled up in a ball. His sobs quickly escalated into full blown wails of sorrow.

[later]

"Thanks for coming over Taylor." Gavin ran his fingers through Taylor's hair while they were standing at the front door.

"No... thank **you**." Taylor smiled, leaned forward and kissed Gavin goodbye.

"I'll walk you out." Gavin said, slipping on a pair of flip flops.

Taylor waited, his heart full of joy and elation.

Outside the apartment, Taylor turned to Gavin and took his hand. "You're amazing!" he smiled and hugged him.

"You are too Taylor." Gavin hugged him back and kissed Taylor's cheek.

Taylor nodded, fear built up inside him because he'd have to go back to the townhouse and see Kris. He knew Kris would have been crying this whole time- and most likely, he still was. His eyes would be red, his face flushed, his body shaking uncontrollably, his mood would be bleak and gloomy and he'd be moping. He wasn't looking forward to going home.

Taylor looked both ways to cross the street to get to his car. He stepped off the curb and took two or three steps when Gavin called out, "Good luck!"

Taylor turned around to say something back to Gavin when he heard a blaring car horn and screeching tires that **almost** came to a stop just before hitting him.

Gavin heard a thump as the taxi hit the right side of Taylor's body, then immediately, he heard an anguished yell of pain from Taylor. Gavin screamed and ran into the road. He knelt at Taylor's side with a look of panic and terror on his face. He took the phone out of Taylor's pocket, called 911, then looked up at the taxi driver.

"He just walked out into the road." the driver said, shaken. "Is he ok?"

"Yea, just peachy keen." Taylor muttered sarcastically then moaned and tried to sit up. "My leg." he closed his eyes.

"Shit!" the driver of the taxi said angrily. "I'm so sorry man."

Gavin touched Taylor's cheek and asked, "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

"No. He didn't hit me that hard, but fuckin'-A, my leg. I think it's broken!" Taylor shouted though the piercing pain.

"Baby," Gavin teared up. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Make it better." Taylor laughed sardonically. "No, there's nothing. Where's the damn ambulance?"

"It'll be here soon. I'm riding with you. No ifs ands or buts." Gavin's tears splashed to the ground.

"I hear sirens." the cab driver said, looking around and seeing a gathering of people appear.

"Call Kris please." Taylor said to Gavin. "The number is in my phone. Hey, it's ok. I'll be fine." he said gently and caressed Gavin's wet cheek.

Gavin nodded and fumbled with the phone. He was shaking so badly.

Kris looked at his cell phone. "Taylor. Why is he calling? He can't tell me in person he chose Gavin over me?"

He flipped his phone open and answered. "Yea?" in a tiny voice.

"Kris? It's Gavin. Taylor has been in an accident."

Kris gasped loudly as the blood drained from his face. He turned as pale as a sheet. "No." he whispered.

Gavin spoke, his voice was affected by his emotions, "He was hit by a taxi and we think his leg is broken. The ambulance is on it's way. I'm going to ride with him. Taylor wants you to come to the hospital."

"Ok." Kris said, then cursed because he didn't have a car and a cab would take a while to get there and waste precious time when he could be at the hospital with Taylor.... and Gavin. "I have to call a cab. Tell Taylor I lov... uh, that I'll see him there. Bye."

At that time, Gavin saw the ambulance and a police car pull up.

~~**~~

Kris was in the kitchen with a phone book, about to call a cab, when Luke and Noah walked through the door laughing and holding hands.

"Take me to the hospital!" Kris yelled, running to the door. He put on a pair of sandals and apprehensively stared at Luke, then Noah.

Luke and Noah stared back, confused. Was Kris going to commit himself again because of Taylor's confessions of kissing Gavin, meeting with him for lunch, and secretly talking to him on the phone?

"Taylor has been in an accident. Please!" Kris begged.

Noah and Luke blinked, astonished. "Let's go!" Noah yelled and grabbed Kris's hand. Luke ran behind them, following them to the truck.

"Get in! Hurry!" Kris said, pushing Luke inside the vehicle.

~~**~~

[At the hospital]

Gavin held Taylor's hand, watching the nurse cut his jeans off. The doctor looked at his lower leg and touched it to check for breaks and swelling.

Taylor took deep breaths to calm his nerves and to get through the aches and pains in his right leg as the doctor tried to turn it.

"I think you've fractured it, but lets get some pictures to be sure." The doctor said, patted Taylor's shoulder and left.

Gavin bent down and kissed Taylor's forehead. "You're going to be ok."

"I know." Taylor answered with a grimace. "It fuckin' hurts!"

The nurse looked at Taylor with a shocked expression at his language, then covered his legs with a sheet. She asked, "Ready to go to the X-ray room so we can see just what's going on?"

Taylor answered the nurse with a nod of his head before he looked at Gavin and asked, "Is Kris here yet?"

"There's been no sign of him." Gavin answered.

Taylor nodded and pled, "I know he'll be curious and ask you about today, but please don't tell him if you see him. I have to tell him myself, ok?"

"Of course." Gavin smiled and swept Taylor's hair back. "Anything to make you happy."

Taylor gripped Gavin's hand once again before he let go as he was wheeled out of the room.

Gavin looked around and took a seat in a blue chair. He nervously rubbed his face as he awaited for Taylor's return. He was so frightened when he saw Taylor get hit. When the ambulance came he forgot about the event because he was trying to comfort Taylor, but now he thought about it. If that taxi hadn't stopped and Taylor had been hurt worse or killed.... Gavin shook his head to rid those thoughts. He looked around the hospital room and hoped that Taylor would get back before Kris arrived. He didn't really want be alone with Kris because he was sure he'd be attacked by a barrage of questions.

~~**~~

Kris frantically entered the hospital, pulling Luke and Noah behind him. The nurse on staff suggested that Luke and Noah sit in the waiting room so Taylor's room wouldn't be so crowded with visitors.

She took Kris to Taylor's room and opened the door. Gavin looked up and recognized Kris, who looked distraught, hysterical and close to crying.

"Where is he?" Kris asked frightened.

Gavin replied, "He's having an X-ray done of his leg. He's ok, but he's in pain."

Kris nodded, his bottom lip trembling, then tears cascaded down his troubled face. "All I kept thinking on the way over here, was what if.... he..." Kris shook his head. "You're sure he's ok? You're not trying to lessen the extent of his injuries, are you?"

"No." Gavin said after a pause. He neared Kris and held out his arms.

Kris's shoulders shook as he let Gavin hug him. He could smell Taylor's cologne on Gavin's clothes and that made him cry harder.

"I need to know.... what happened. You have to tell me." Kris wept silently with his eyes closed, clutching at the back of Gavin's shirt.

"He was crossing the street, but I said something to him, I forgot what, and he turned to answer. A taxi hit him. It had slowed, but it hadn't completely stopped. He landed on the hood of the taxi, then rolled off and onto the road. In a way, I guess it's my fault." Gavin sighed, his eyes becoming glassy with tears.

"No it's not. But, that's not what I was referring to anyway. What did he decide? Who did he choose? Forget it. I already know." Kris stepped away from Gavin, dried his eyes and leaned against the wall.

"He wants to tell you himself. I promised not to say anything Kris. I'm sorry, but when it comes to Taylor I do what he wants me to. I just want to make him happy."

Kris stared at Gavin. "You really love him, don't you?" he asked on the ragged edge of bawling.

Gavin nodded with a slight smile. "More than anything else in my life."

Kris's heart slammed against his chest as he looked away. The air got thick and heavy and he got dizzy. He crouched down to breath deeply and to regain his balance.

"Kris?"

Kris grunted his response.

"You alright?" Gavin asked, approaching Kris.

"Stay away. Just... stay... there." Kris hung his head and closed his eyes as he willed his heart to slow.

"Ok." Gavin answered with concern for the young man. "Taylor should be back soon."

_'Yay. I get to watch Taylor and Gavin interact. Just what I need.'_ Kris thought wryly, but expressed his compassion, "I hope he'll be fine. I wouldn't wish any amount of pain on my worst enemy."

Gavin nodded, agreeing with him. He realized that Kris was more mature than Taylor let on. How many fiancé's would allow their partner to do what Kris had done for Taylor?

~~**~~

"I wonder what's going on?" Luke handed Noah a cup of water and sat next to him. "I'm dying to know!"

"I am too, but we have to wait." Noah said, sipping the cool water.

"Hey!" Luke exclaimed and excitedly slapped Noah's thigh, accidentally making his boyfriend spill his water on the crotch of his pants.

"Ooh! Cold!" Noah sucked in a breath. "What the hell did you do that for?" He asked, but Luke was laughing out of control and pointing to Noah's groin.

"Ha Ha. Very funny." Noah muttered and plucked out three or four kleenexes from the box on the small table next to his chair. He dabbed his crotch and shook his head trying not to join in with Luke's contagious laughter.

Luke came close to Noah's ear and whispered, "You should let me do that." Then he began to giggle again as he teased, "Noah wet his pants. Do you want me to buy some 'Depends' the next time I get groceries?"

Noah huffed and turned away with a smirk. He couldn't let Luke think this was funny or he'd never let up.

"Aww, don't pout Noah." Luke combed the back of Noah's hair with his fingers. "It could have been worse."

"I guess." Noah said turning back to Luke. "I could have spilled the whole cup."

"No, I meant you could have crapped your pants!" Luke giggled into Noah's shoulder.

"You're so deranged." Noah kissed the top of Luke's blond head. "But I love you anyway."

Luke chuckled, raised his head and said, "You know, someday when you're really old you WILL poo your pants and not even know it!"

"I trust you to clean me up." Noah smiled before he kissed the tip of Luke's nose.

"Huh?" Luke lost his smile. _'Oh my god! I'm SO happy! He sees us together in the far future!_

"You know, if we're still together next year." Noah laughed, playfully punching Luke's bicep.

"I ain't sticking around next year if you're going to be messing your pants Noah."

"Pffsstt," Noah waved his hand. "You will too."

"How is it that you're so sure?" Luke lifted an eyebrow and tipped his head to the side.

"Because Luke," Noah's body slanted to the side as he whispered, "you can't get enough of my body. You'd go crazy without it and me."

"Humph." Luke crossed his arms. "That's why? That's all? That's your proof?"

"Yea, that and I can't see you with anyone else." Noah joked, then chuckled.

"You can't see me..." Luke snickered. "without you. Very funny Noah."

"Alright." Noah gave in as his head tilted back and he stared at the ceiling. "I want to take this to the next level, but I don't know how."

Luke's heart sped up, his head whirled and his stomach flip flopped. "What do you mean?" he asked out of breath.

"I don't know. We're already boyfriend's and we already live together." Noah drummed his fingers on his thigh. "What's next?"

"Er..."

Noah shrugged. "See? I have no idea either."

Luke's ego deflated. He wished Noah would propose, but then again, they've known each other less than six months. _'Unless..... Noah wants me to propose to him! No, he said it was too early for him to get married. BUT, he never said anything about getting engaged, did he?'_ Luke thought back. _'No he didn't, but he said that marriage isn't something he takes lightly. Darn it!'_

The door opened and a nurse entered first, wheeling Taylor's hospital bed into the room. Kris stood up and met Taylor's eyes once the bed was back in position.

"Kris. I'm so glad you made it." Taylor spoke, wincing in pain.

"Luke and Noah brought me." Kris explained, lowering his gaze.

"How is he?" Gavin asked the nurse as he walked to Taylor's side.

"I have his X-rays right here." She pointed to the folder laying across Taylor's sheet. "The doctor will be right in to look at them." she said, then left the room.

"How do you feel?" Gavin asked, taking Taylor's hand.

"Like a taxi hit me." Taylor chuckled and closed his eyes. "Kris?"

"Yea?" Kris answered softly as he looked up, seeing that Gavin and Taylor were holding hands. He thought he was going to vomit due to the emotions that image evoked inside of him.

"I want to talk to you. Tell you--"

"I can see Taylor. I'm not blind. Since your injuries aren't serious, I'm going to go." Kris backed up, intending to leave the room, but he bumped into Taylor's doctor who urged him back inside. Kris sat on the chair near the door and wrapped his arms around himself.

The doctor picked up the X-rays and held them up to the light. "Hm... you seem to have fractured your fibula. Your lower leg was either bent or twisted as a result of the car hitting you. We'll get a cast on it right away to immobilize it. I'll also prescribe a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug to ease the pain and relieve the swelling. You'll have the cast on for about two months. Ok?" she smiled at Taylor.

"Alright." Taylor said, less than happy he had to have a cast, but at least his whole leg wasn't broken.

"Good. I'll get the nurse and we'll have you out of here in no time." she said and took the x-rays with her when she left.

"Great." Taylor muttered. "A cast. I'm going to be hobbling around like an old man!"

Gavin laughed and said, "You are an old man."

"Shut up." Taylor laughed aloud.

As Kris listened to their teasing, he stood up quietly and faced the door.

"Hey." Gavin said to Kris. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kris froze and answered shyly, "Home, I have a lot to do and--"

"No you don't." Gavin countered, then leaned down to whisper in Taylor's ear.

Kris turned around to respond and saw Gavin close to Taylor's ear. His heart dropped into his stomach. He couldn't take it anymore. Just as he was about to look away and leave, Gavin stood up. "I'm going to get something to drink. Take care of him." he said to Kris just before he walked out of the room.

Kris's blue eyes met Taylor's, then Taylor smiled at him.

"You're so far away." Taylor held out his hand. "Come, I need to talk to you about our situation."

Kris nodded and stepped heavily to Taylor's hospital bed. He anticipated being dumped and steeled himself for the blow.

"Kris, I went to Gavin's with the intention to talk to him first, then to... you know."

"I know." Kris said barely above a whisper. _'Have sex.'_

"I didn't understand why you wanted me to have sex with him, but I understood later."

Kris was silent, staring at a stray thread on the sheet covering Taylor to his waist.

"I have to be honest with you Kris." Taylor paused, then spoke gently as if that would soften his confession. "Gavin and I kissed and made out, again-"

"I don't want to hear anymore Taylor. I really don't." Kris covered his ears and closed his eyes, wishing he were somewhere else.

Taylor pulled one of Kris's arms down and pleaded, "Listen to me. Please?"

Kris slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Taylor's sweet face, his body jerked due to a sob.

Taylor gasped and said commanded, "Kris! Come here."

"No!" Kris covered his mouth to mute the sobs rising into his throat.

"Fine, let me finish." Taylor said with tears in his eyes as well because he knew Kris was hurting, maybe more than his leg was hurting. "Gavin led me to his bedroom and once we were there, I couldn't do it. Kris did you hear me? I couldn't do it. I thought I wanted to, but all I thought about was you, that I should be with you in OUR bedroom. I am attracted to Gavin, but he's not you. He's **nothing** like you kiddo."

Kris sniffled and stopped crying. "I thought you said you loved him? Don't you?"

"I do love him, or rather, I love how we get along- as friends. I can never be with him now, not when I've had the best- you. Now come here."

"Wait. You--"

"Want you, Kris." Taylor interrupted and finished Kris's sentence. "For the rest of my life." He smiled at Kris, but cringed when the pain in his leg made itself known.

Kris was at the bed in an instant, kissing and hugging Taylor. "You didn't sleep with him? Really?" he cupped Taylor's face and stared into his eyes.

"No I couldn't. I didn't want to." Taylor said, then softly he whispered, "Kiss me, beautiful boy."

Kris lowered his mouth and teased Taylor's lips open with his velvety tongue, then Taylor took over. His hand grabbed the back of Kris's blond head while the other hand wrapped around Kris's waist, pulling his chest onto his own. Taylor opened his mouth and sucked in Kris's tongue, moving gracefully against it, then he lost control and plundered his mouth.

Gavin walked back into the room, seeing Taylor and Kris engaged in an excessively indulgent, tongue-fucking kiss. He coughed, but got no reaction, so he stepped back out into the hall.

Kris raised his head and asked, panting, "What was... that?"

"Who cares." Taylor answered, his chest rising and falling quickly as he breathed. His gaze met Kris's sparkling blue eyes before smiling and pulling Kris's head down again to kiss him. Their lips met softly, still tingling and exuding heat from the previous urgent, lip-crushing kisses.

"Who is **that** guy?" Noah asked, nodding in the direction of a handsome, dark haired man who just appeared in the waiting room with a drink in his hand.

"How am I supposed to know?" Luke said, then looked up from the magazine he was reading. "Whoa. He's... er..."

Noah snickered, "Say it. I don't care. I'm not jealous because I have you wrapped around my little finger. Besides, I would agree with you, he is very handsome."

"I was going to say tall." Luke faced Noah with a smirk playing on his lips.

"No, you weren't." Noah challenged him. "You were going to say he's sexy and hot and that you want him."

"I was NOT going to say I want him." Luke whispered forcefully as he nudged Noah with his elbow.

Noah laughed and kissed Luke. "Go back to reading your 'Ranger Rick' magazine."

"Ha-Ha. Uh Oh, he's coming over here!" Luke sat paralyzed as the attractive man neared them.

Noah whispered, "Maybe he wants your magazine." then laughed.

"Excuse me, are you Luke and Noah by chance?" Gavin asked.

Noah nodded slowly wondering how this stranger knew their names. "Yes."

Luke just stared at the man's cinnamon colored eyes.

"And you are?" Noah asked, standing up.

"Gavin, Taylor's friend." he held out his hand. "Which one are you?"

"Noah, and this is my boyfriend Luke."

Luke stood up and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans before shaking Gavin's hand. "Hello."

"Kris mentioned you both in Taylor's room. I don't see two other men that are together, so I assumed you were them. Are them." Gavin laughed. "Whatever. I'm not an English major."

Luke laughed, but Noah was more somber because he knew Gavin had been trying to wedge his way between Kris and Taylor.

"What can we do for you?" Noah asked, glaring at Gavin.

Seeing the fierce look in Noah's blue eyes, Gavin turned to Luke. He smiled as he took out his wallet. "Taylor's leg is broken." he said opening his wallet. "I was going to stick around, but I don't see the need to now that Kris is here." Gavin counted out some money and handed it to Luke as he spoke, "Taylor will need a cane to get around. He doesn't really like crutches. Would you buy one for him in the gift shop and give it to him for me?"

Luke took the money while Noah watched the exchange, coming to the conclusion that Taylor and Gavin weren't a couple.

"Is Taylor with Kris? I mean, is he staying with him?" Noah asked in an avid manner. "Are they together as in together-together?"

Gavin shifted his gaze to Noah and licked his lips. He nodded and looked at the floor. He answered with an acute amount of grief in his voice, "Yes and he's happy. That's all that counts."

Luke and Noah let out a relieved breath. Luke put his hand on Gavin's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry... I mean... I'm not 'that' sorry... because I like Kris, but I feel bad that you---"

Noah jumped in, "I think what Luke is trying to say," He wrapped his arm around Luke and looked at him. "is that he's sorry that things didn't work out for you, but that he's happy that Taylor is happy."

Luke grinned at Noah, then nodded at Gavin.

"Thanks... I think." Gavin replied and sighed. "Well, thank you for doing this for me." he said, referring to the purchase of a cane. "Tell Taylor I left, that I had some errands to run."

"Will do." Noah said with a wave, leading Luke down the hall.

Luke turned to Noah and asked with a little bit of confusion in his voice, "Why do you think Taylor chose Kris over HIM? I mean, wow!"

Noah smacked Luke on the ass and answered, "Love."

"What's with the spanking?" Luke rubbed his butt.

Noah shrugged as he looked around. "I can't go for too long without touching you, besides, your ass is mine- I can touch it whenever I want to."

Luke let out a loud laugh. "You wish."

"Are challenging me Snyder?" Noah narrowed his eyes and looked at Luke with a smirk.

Luke gave Noah the same look back and said, "Maybe I am Mayer!"

"Oooh, it's on."

"Yes it is! No touching my butt for the rest of the day.... until one second after midnight."

"Easy! I have this in the bag!" Noah guffawed.

"Oh? Alright Mr. Handsy, how about no touching me anywhere on my body? "

"Uh..." Noah winced. "I-"

"HA! I have this in the bag!" Luke laughed.

"Then you can't touch me either." Noah laughed back.

"No, this is about you thinking you can touch me whenever you want, remember?" Luke jabbed a finger at Noah's chest. "I'm touching you, I'm touching you!" he teased.

Noah raised his hand to grab Luke's wrist and lower his arm, but he remembered he couldn't touch him. "Shit. You little shit!" Noah came close to Luke's ear. "Touch me all you want. I'm still going to win."

"Not." Luke laughed as he played with the fringe on Noah's bangs. "You're so adorable when you think you're going to win."

"Lets get that cane for Taylor." Noah said, then mumbled, "So I can swat you with it." They easily found the gift shop on the first floor and entered it, looking around.

"How about this one?" Luke picked up a wooden cane and walked hunched over with it, giggling the whole time.

Noah laughed and turned away, choosing a different one. "How about this one?" He held a black carbon fiber cane with flames decorated on it.

"Cool!" Luke exclaimed. "Dr. House has this cane! Fifty-two bucks, that's not too bad right?"

"Is that Taylor's doctor?" Noah asked, preoccupied with looking though the cane stand for another type of cane.

"NOAH!" Luke laughed as he put the end of the cane between Noah's legs and rose it. He got as far as mid-thigh before he was stopped.

"Stop that!" Noah scolded with a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"Dr. House is on tv, on the show 'House'." Luke smiled.

"Oh, that 'House.'" Noah nodded. "Well, if you like that one, lets get it."

~~**~~

"There. All finished." The doctor said to Taylor eyeing the cast. "We'll just let that set for a few while I write up your discharge papers and instructions on how to take care of that leg."

"Thanks." Taylor smiled at the Doctor, then watched her and the nurse leave.

He turned his head to the side and said gruffly, "Tongue me some more before they get back."

Kris kissed Taylor and sighed, which quickly tapered into a low moan when Taylor introduced his tongue into Kris's mouth again. His hand rested on Taylor's hard chest, moving his thumb back and forth over Taylor's shirt, feeling his nipple become pert beneath it. After a few minutes, Kris raised his head and said, almost crying, "I missed you so much. I thought I lost you. These past weeks were hell."

"I'm sorry I was so mean. I don't have any excuse for it. I WAS cruel and I admit it, but I still loved you- I never stopped, will NEVER stop." A tear from Kris's eyes landed on Taylor's cheek followed by several more. Taylor wrapped his arms around Kris and hugged him tightly. "Please forgive me my sweet baby."

Luke followed Noah down the hallway to Taylor's room after they asked for the number at the nurse's desk. He kept poking Noah's butt with the end of the cane the whole way to the room, giggling and laughing.

"What has gotten into you?" Noah asked. When they reached Taylor's room, he turned around and grabbed the cane.

"I guess I'm happy that Taylor has resolved the issue with Gavin and Kris, but more than that, I think I just like picking on you." Luke grinned lopsidedly as he raised his fist and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Come in." Kris said as he straightened up. He smiled at Taylor before looking at the door. "Luke, Noah! I forgot about you guys!"

"It's ok. You had to catch up with him." Noah said, pointing at Taylor.

Luke smiled at Taylor and joked, "So, word has it that you broke your leg. Tell us why you thought it was a good idea to chase a car."

Kris laughed and it felt good. He hadn't felt this good in a long while.

**CHAPTER: 40**

RATED: R- Sex and Language

SUMMARY: Skip Ahead To Cassandra's Third Trimester Week. **Luke and Noah have a heart to heart. Kris and Taylor, Amber and Cassandra go to Lamaze class.**

WARNING: Out of Character. AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*My Editing, My Mistakes

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Luke slowly dragged the paintbrush down the back of Kris's head and the back of his shirt.

"You. Didn't. Just. Do. That." Kris sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Heh, Heh." Luke chuckled. "I did. What are you going to do about it 'Dad'."

Kris touched the back of his head, feeling the wet, sticky sky blue paint in his hair. "You fucker." Kris laughed and ran after Luke with his orange covered paintbrush. He grabbed Luke's arm and painted a long stripe down Luke's arm.

"Prick!" Luke laughed and sidestepped Kris just as he was about to get an orange face. "Missed me, missed me and I don't want ya to kiss me!" Luke giggled and went back to the wall that used to be a dark ocean blue, but now was the color of a light blue sky. He climbed the ladder and looked down. Kris was painting a lion and a giraffe beneath him in the tree forest.

"This is pretty gender neutral." Luke said, admiring Kris's idea for a themed nursery. "I didn't know you could draw and paint."

"I love art." Kris said.

"You're pretty talented."

Kris looked up at Luke and beamed. "Thanks."

Luke smiled back and dipped his brush in the paint can. "Are you excited?"

"God yes! I can't wait. Cassandra, Amber, Me, and Taylor started Lamaze classes. We get funny looks, but you know Taylor. He says things for the shock value and blows people off if they rub him the wrong way."

"Yea, he's hilarious like that with his sarcasm. So what did you learn about?" Luke asked while he stretched and painted near the ceiling tape.

"Um," Kris thought back to last week. "Well, the teacher talked about nutrition, exercising and breathing to relax, stuff like that. Oh, the teacher was telling all the dads not to drive like we're racing in the indy 500 on the way to the hospital when the time came. Taylor was so goofy. He said 'watch this' to me and he stomped his foot down on the floor and pretended he had a steering wheel in his hands, then he started going 'vrrrrooooommm, vrrroooooommm'." then he screeched when he pretended to take a turn. The teacher smiles and shakes her head at him and everyone else just laughs.

Luke chuckled, "I think he's even more excited than you are."

"No, I definitely am." Kris defended, "In fact, I am so jealous that he gets to take 'leave' from work to stay home with the baby when it's born and I have to start school."

"Yea, but you'll see the baby when you get home every night." Luke tilted his head and dabbed the brush on the wall where he'd missed a spot.

"When he or she is crabby." Kris snickered. "The teacher says evenings are the worst. The baby will have had a lot of stimulation during the day."

"Hm, your baby could be different. You know, Taylor's disposition is really calm and collected."

"I don't know Cassandra that well, but she is really sweet and so nice to me. She just grabs my hand and puts it on her stomach when the baby is active. She even tells me to lean down and talk to her stomach. I tell you, the first time she said that I looked at her like she was crazy, then Taylor started talking 'baby gibberish' to her stomach. She told me that the baby could hear us talking. So I did it."

"What did you say to it?"

"I said... 'hi baby. I'm one of your dads.' and something like how I hoped it wasn't too cramped in there." Kris laughed.

Luke shook his head and snickered. "That's so cute."

"We have another class tonight." Kris said, then stood up and exclaimed. "Oh shit! I have to get this paint out of my hair!"

"It's water based. It'll wash out." Luke stated. "Anyway, I like blue on you." he giggled.

~~**~~

Taylor walked into the nursery while Kris was in the shower. "Looks good Luke. I love what you've done to the sky. It's so.... blue." Taylor teased. "Are you planning on putting some clouds in that infinite sea of blue?"

"Ahh, I'm not really the painter. Kris is."

"You just have to blob some white on there and viola, a cloud is born."

"Eh, my clouds would probably take on shapes." Luke replied, looking down at Taylor from the ladder.

"Shapes are good Luke. Sheep, fluffy pillows-"

"No, I mean like circles, triangles, rectangles--"

Taylor laughed, "Oh shut up!"

"trapezoids, parallelograms..." Luke giggled and heard Noah call out that he was home.

"In here!" Luke yelled, stepping down the ladder.

"Looking good." Noah smiled after he entered the room.

"Thanks, you too."

"No, the room." Noah teased and kissed Luke on the lips. "Hi Taylor." he said after he stepped away from his boyfriend.

"Hi Noah. It's coming along, isn't it." Taylor said eying the room. "Almost done."

"You must be going out of your mind." Noah stated. "A baby in a few weeks and you don't even have a crib."

"Mom is getting us one." Taylor answered, then clarified when Luke and Noah looked at him with puzzled faces. "Crystal. Kris's mom lets me call her mom." he smiled.

Luke said, "That's nice."

"Not if you think about it. Kris and Taylor calling Crystal 'mom'? Sounds like they're brothers." Noah joked.

"Personally," Taylor leaned into Noah and whispered, "I'd still do him if he was my brother." Then he stood back and laughed.

"You're a perv." Noah chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh come on! Just try to convince me that you wouldn't do Luke sideways and upside down if he was your brother." Taylor put his hands on his hips and arched a brow at Noah.

Noah glanced at Luke and said to Taylor. "I don't think I'd even do him right now. He's orange. I don't think he's human."

"Ugh!" Luke smacked Noah on the butt. "Kris painted me. I painted him blue." he said proudly.

"Blue huh?" Taylor laughed. "I hope he's not done with his shower, I have to see this!"

Luke turned to Noah after Taylor left the room. "So? What do you think?"

"I like it. You know, we could keep it like this when they move." Noah smiled as he looked at the lion.

"They've never said anything about moving... wait. What? Why would we keep it like this? Noah?" Luke asked, staring at the back of his boyfriends head.

"M'm, I don't know."

"Yes you do." Luke declared. "You said that for a reason. Are you getting daddy pangs?"

Noah whirled around and laughed nervously, "Daddy pangs? Nah, I was just kidding. Kris put a lot of work into these animals and I wouldn't want to paint over them. That's all. That's what I meant."

Luke pinched Noah's cheek and sang, "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth." Noah said, running his fingers through Luke's hair. "So soft," he whispered. "and orange." then laughed.

"You know," Luke said in a serious way, "if you do want kids, you better know where you're getting one."

"I can't just pick one out at the grocery store?"

"No you can't." Luke's eyes twinkled when he smiled. "It's not like they're grown between the carrots and lettuce in produce you know."

"Aw shucks." Noah snapped his fingers.

"Noah? Hypothetically, if you wanted a child, how would you go about it?" Luke asked out of curiosity.

"Ok," Noah licked his lips and took Luke's hand. He led him to the kitchen. He took a beer from the fridge and turned around to address Luke. "Hypothetically, I'd go to daycare and slip one in my pocket and sneak out." he laughed.

"Noah. I'm serious, I mean I'm serious about the hypothetical thing."

"Why? I'm young. I have all the time in the world to have fun before a child comes into my life and turns my world upside down."

"If I had a child around, I don't think it would be that bad."

"I didn't say it would be bad, but you'd lose your freedom. You'll lose sleep, get grey hair and wrinkles, you'll turn into someone else. You won't be Luke the writer/model. You'll be Luke the dad."

"I see." Luke said tapping his chin. "So by NOT having a child, I'll keep my looks and be well rested? Hm, Nope. I'd still rather have a child because those things are inevitable. I will grow older either way Noah."

Noah shrugged and tipped the can up to his mouth as he walked to the living room.

"Ok Noah." Luke followed him, taking quick steps. "I get the feeling there's more to this than you're letting on." He watched Noah ease down on the couch and sat next to him. Luke teased the hair on Noah's neck with his fingers and asked, "It's like you hint that you want a child, but then you realize what you've said and you get scared. Why?"

"I was caught up in the moment. I don't want kids Luke. None." Noah said soberly and took another drink.

"But--" Luke was confused and scrunched up his face. "You said you wanted to keep the nursery like that after Taylor and Kris moved. So I thought you wanted a child to live in that room. Why would you--"

Noah raised his voice, "I said, I blurted it out. Let's drop the issue Luke."

"But--"

"No Luke, no more." Noah stood up and drank the rest of his beer.

Luke narrowed his eyes and watched Noah leave the room. _'Jerk!'_

He heard laughter and turned around to see Taylor and Kris with their arms wrapped around each other.

"See you later Luke." Kris smiled at Luke.

"We're off to birthing class." Taylor grinned. "Hi Ho, Hi ho, it's off to class we go!"

Kris bent over and giggled hard. "Stop it! You're going to make me pee my pants!"

"God, not you too! I'm gonna have to be changing your pants right along with our baby's diaper?"

Kris stood up and shook his head, laughing.

Luke approached the two men and smiled. "You're in a great mood." he said to Taylor.

"I'm happy because I'm so grateful!" Taylor kissed Kris on the cheek.

"For Kris and the baby." Luke nodded.

Taylor shook his head, "Nope, that Kris is so flexible that he can bend over and grab his ankles in the shower!"

"Taylor!" Kris ducked his head in embarrassment, but a giggle escaped his mouth.

"We better go." Taylor tousled Kris's blond head and chuckled. "See ya Luke. Oh," he said looking around, "tell Noah, wherever he went, goodbye too."

"I will." Luke smiled and watched his two roommates leave. A scowl replaced his smile and he stormed to the loft. Noah was in the shower, so Luke sat fully dressed on the bed with his arms and legs crossed. A look of determination was set on his face as he fought to keep himself from tensing up.

Noah opened the bathroom door and walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He stopped short when he saw Luke's stiff posture and the look of annoyance on his face. "Oh. Hi." he said, avoiding Luke's eyes.

"Yea, hi." Luke said wryly. He clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes when he saw drops of water splash from Noah's hair onto his chest and roll down the smooth plane of his body. _'No, he's not getting out of this by looking sexy and irresistible this time. THIS time I'm getting to the bottom of this before he finds out he can seduce me.'_

"Noah. I insist that you tell me right now what the hell is wrong." Luke stared at Noah's head so he wouldn't stare at his body. The wet pleasure trail below his bellybutton, this hip bones peeking out above the towel, his muscular six pack abdomen.

Noah chewed his bottom lip as he sat next to Luke on the bed. He placed his hand on Luke's thigh and said, "I told you about my parents."

"Yes." Luke looked at Noah, but Noah was looking down. He reached up and fingered Noah's wet hair and smiled when Noah leaned into his hand.

"What I didn't tell you, is that my dad was a Colonel in the army. He was very strict and didn't hesitate to use his leather belt to tan my hide. He wasn't a good father or role model Luke."

"I'm sorry." Luke said, still confused. "What does that have to do with--"

"Luke, I'm... I don't want kids. That's all!" Noah stood up and went to the dresser. He placed his hands flat on it and leaned over, breathing heavily.

"Oh no you don't. Don't shut me out now. We're getting somewhere." In a flash, Luke was behind Noah rubbing his back. "You can tell me anything you know. C'mon. We've dealt with all sorts of crap before. Don't let this one thing break us up."

"What if it did? What if what I told you made you not want to be with me? You want kids- it's obvious. I don't. See? We're different." Noah muttered as goosebumps raised where Luke touched his skin.

"Then we need to figure that out right now, don't you think?" Luke asked calmly, soothing Noah's tense muscles in his back by massaging them using a technique that Taylor taught him.

"Mmmm... feels good." Noah said, rolling his head back.

"Why don't you lay on the bed. I'll keep working my fingers and you can talk." Luke suggested. Happily, he watched Noah nod and walk to the bed.

After Luke had straddled Noah's waist he bent over his back and began massaging Noah's shoulders. He asked with curiosity, "So tell me about your dad."

"Ugh." Noah made a sound of distaste. "He was awful. The things he did and said to me were so mean. I was so jealous of my friend's fathers. I'd see them playing football or catching a softball outside with them. They would go hiking or camping or fishing together. I would get invited to do things with my friend, Frankie Nolan, and his dad. His dad always included me because I think Frankie told him about how terrible my dad was."

"Noah-"

"I know, it seems as if I'm off topic, but in a way I'm not." Noah said then struggled to turn over. Luke raised himself on his knees then sat back down once Noah was on his back. His towel had become bunched up and was useless to cover him up, but neither one of them cared.

"Luke," Noah began, holding his boyfriend's hands and looking him in the eyes. "I'll be like my father. That's why I have to remind myself, convince myself, that I don't want children. I would be a horrible person, worse than my father, if I made the conscious choice to raise a child. I--"

"Noah--"

"No it's true." Noah asserted, "I--"

"Noah," Luke covered Noah's mouth so he would listen. "you are not your father." he said in a very caring, loving way. "You are the most... amazing and incredible person I have ever met. You're full of love and compassion and I know, I KNOW that you'd be an excellent father."

Noah swallowed as he pondered that over. Luke gave him a little chuckle and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Still--"

"Still, you are the kind of man that knows how to love. Any child would be so lucky to experience that with you Noah. What you have to give, is something that children need. I see it in you. I see it when we pass a baby in a stroller. I see the way you smile at a toddler walking in the grocery store with his mother. Who else do you know that will buy a lollipop in the checkout line for the kid sitting in the grocery cart behind him?"

"No one." Noah said with a slight smile.

"Right, but you do it." Luke added, "And who continuously picked up and handed back that stuffed rabbit that little two year old in the park intentionally kept dropping?"

"Me." Noah smiled a little bigger.

"What about when we were in the baby store looking for a gift for Taylor and Kris's baby? Who picked up that lavender colored, stuffed kitten and said 'meow, meow' to the little girl next to us to make her laugh?"

"That was you!" Noah laughed.

Luke looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Oh, you're right! But you were there and laughing too!"

"Thanks Luke." Noah said appreciatively. "I guess you're right. It's just that having a kid is such a huge responsibility and I'm afraid I'm going to turn into my dad."

"It's not that much of a responsibility." Luke said shyly. "I'd take half of it off you."

Noah's heart skipped a beat, then two. He sucked in his bottom lip. He didn't want a child right now, but maybe they could bring it up again next year. Noah smiled and teased, "We better get started then. Inseminate me." he laughed.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Real romantic Noah." he said as he swung his leg off Noah to sit next to him.

Noah raised himself up on his elbows, licked his lips slowly, and said, "Listen sexy, my aching body needs you now. You make me feel so good when you make love to me. Will you please make love to me right now?"

"That's more romantic." Luke smiled, rose off the bed and undressed eagerly. Those words were enough to turn him on and get him rock solid. He entered Noah gently, but Noah bucked his hips and said naughtily, "Just fuck me!"

"So much for romance." Luke said before he forcibly plunged into Noah.

~~**~~

"Alright class. I need all the fathers to come with me." The Lamaze teacher said to the group.

"You go." Kris said to Taylor. Kris turned to Amber and Cassandra and smiled. "Thanks for letting me come to these classes."

"No problem Kris." Cassandra said, patting his hand.

"You are a soon-to-be-father too you know." Amber said while she lifted Cassandra's dark hair off her neck and blew cool air on it.

"Ohhh... that feels so good! It's like a sauna in here." Cassandra closed her eyes.

"Not really pussycat." Amber blew on her neck again. "You have those extra hormones and a baby inside you making you overheated."

"And I thought it was because you're near me." Cassandra laughed.

"Kris is too, maybe he's exuding sexy thoughts that telepathically enter your head." Amber laughed, then turned to Kris, who was beet red. "She has been so friggin' horny this last trimester. It's driving me nuts!"

"Oh... well... I-- have nothing to say to that." Kris mumbled, making Cassandra and Amber giggle.

The fathers' came back with exercise balls in their hands. Taylor asked, "Who's up for a game of kickball?"

"Hell yea! That's what I'm talking about!" Another father from the group spoke out.

"Alright guys." The teacher said, looking straight at Taylor with a smirk. "These balls are for the mothers to sit on. Moms, we're going to practice some ways to relax when you're in labor. This is just one way to help you cope with pain. After that, we're going to go over the signs of labor, then the progress of labor and birth."

Taylor stabilized the ball for Cassandra as she sat on it. He said to her stomach, "See what your mommy is sitting on? It's a ball. Now usually there're two of them, but she'll never let mine near her again. You're very special and I was very lucky she let mine touch her at all." Taylor winked at Cassandra and let the ball go.

"Shhh" Cassandra said to Taylor as she looked around, getting a few smirks and snickers from the couples next to her. "Alright," she said loudly, "He's the baby's father and I'm the mother but we're both gay and these two are our significant others. My girlfriend and I agreed to have a baby for our friends. There. Any questions?" she huffed.

Shakes of their heads and no's were her answer. Amber and Taylor burst out laughing and Kris groaned, hiding his face in his hand.

~~**~~

Luke drew his hips back and thrusted forward, ramming Noah with his cock, as he opened his mouth and grunted loud a long, "UHHHHNNN!"

Noah felt Luke's cum warm his insides. He could feel Luke's cock twitching as it drained into his body. He felt Luke's breath hit his face, drying the sweat on his forehead. He felt Luke pulling back a little then pushing in again and a few more pulses from his cock, then emptiness when Luke withdrew from his body. "Aw." the soft sound left Noah lips as soon as his body felt it was missing something that made him feel whole. He felt Luke's mouth kiss his lips briefly before he felt Luke's tongue. Luke's wonderfully velvety soft, warm, wet, teasing tongue licking his chest. Right where Noah came.

"M'mm" Noah moaned and wriggled his hips. "God." he smiled, feeling the lapping motion of Luke's tongue on his body. The same tongue that was in his mouth mere minutes ago as he came on his own chest.

"Delicious." Luke whispered on Noah's skin. "So good."

"Luke, please..." Noah begged.

"In a minute. Let me finish." Luke bit at Noah's right nipple.

Noah arched and gasped, "Uhhh!"

Luke let out a short chuckle and dragged his tongue to the other nipple. He felt Noah stiffen up with the anticipation of getting bitten again. Instead of bitting that nipple, Luke circled it with his tongue and placed kisses on it, then plucking at it using just his lips.

"Whewww" Noah breathed out. It felt so good. "Awesome... you're awesome. Now?"

"Sure." Luke said and sat up. He reached behind Noah and untied the bandanna that covered his eyes.

Noah brought up his hands and rubbed his eyes. He squinted in the light and found Luke's eyes. He grinned and said, "Come, I want to look into your eyes when I kiss you."

~~**~~

The teacher passed around a pamphlet showing all the birthing positions and explained that each woman was different and one position might feel better than another while preparing to give birth.

The couple next to Cassandra handed it to Kris, who looked at it and turned it upside down while trying to figure out the diagrams. Taylor looked over his shoulder, pointed at a picture, and said, "I bet that's the position that most babies here were made."

"Only you Taylor." Amber smiled and held Cassandra's hand.

Taylor took Cassandra's other hand and kissed it.

"While the pamphlet is being handed around, let's talk about ways to speed up your labor once you're at the hospital." The teacher addressed the room. "One way to induce naturally without using drugs is having sex. If that isn't an option, nipple stimulation works well too. Dads, just take a damp wash cloth and rub-"

"I really don't want to know." Kris said louder than he meant to say it. _Who wants to hear about that? Besides, Taylor won't be doing anything like that to help progress labor. Do I really need to hear this?_ He heard collective tame laughter through his thoughts and looked up to see that Cassandra, Taylor and Amber were snickering right along with everyone else in the room.

~~**~~

"Next time, I'm going to blindfold you." Noah said heatedly.

"Shhh! Don't talk like that anymore." Luke said as he buttoned his jeans. "I've got a fire in my pants as it is."

"Let me use my hose and put it out for you." Noah laughed and sat up. "Where are you going?"

Luke replied with a glance at Noah. "Downstairs for some ice water, then back up here for a shower. I'm still orange."

"Oh yea!" Noah laughed hard.

"See! That's why I had to blindfold you. If you hadn't worn it like I suggested, I'd be into making love to you, then I'd hear you laugh and snicker. My dick would have shrunk so fast...."

"I wouldn't have lau- (snicker) laughed." Noah grinned.

"Right." Luke said doubting Noah. He went downstairs, got a glass of ice water and walked back upstairs. He observed Noah stretching his naked body out on the bed and heard a loud groan. "Ahhhh! Feels good to stretch out. Take your shower so you can lay by me."

Luke took a long drink from the glass. He wiped his mouth and asked, "Want some?"

Noah nodded and took the glass. He took a drink as he watched Luke shed his jeans and toss them near the laundry basket.

"See you in five." Luke smiled and went into the bathroom. Noah set the glass on the nightstand and laid back down on the bed thinking. He looked around the room. _'This is a nice setup he's got here. Taylor and Kris will have a baby soon. Here. In the townhouse. How is this going to work? Are Luke and I going to be stuck babysitting all the time while they go out? I wonder what it'll be like with a baby here. It sure has Luke excited to be a father. Maybe after Taylor and Kris's baby is here for a while, Luke will decide he really doesn't want kids. Why does he want them anyway? How many does he want? He was so adamant, trying to convince me that I'd be a great father. God, he's pushing me again and I'm scared. Marriage and kids. How about staying boyfriends and getting a cat instead?_

**CHAPTER: 41**

RATED: R- Sex and Language

SUMMARY: Preparing for Baby. Luke, Kris and Crystal go shopping. Luke tells Crystal about his family. Meanwhile, Taylor and Noah put the crib up and talk.

WARNING: Out of Character. AU.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*My Editing, My Mistakes.

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"Put the thing in that thing." Taylor told Noah as he pointed and watched closely. "No, the other thing." He shook his head.

"This?" Noah asked holding up a part of the crib.

"Uh, yea." Taylor answered, looking at the directions. "It goes on that rod, then use the socket wrench to secure it."

"Did I tell you I was mechanical?" Noah asked as he turned the wrench.

Impressed, Taylor asked, "You are?"

"No, I'm not. I was wondering how I got chosen to do this job." Noah answered. "There. Tight as a..."

"What?" Taylor asked.

"What is right. What's that saying? Tight as a....?"

Taylor shrugged. "Tight as a virgin's pooper." he laughed.

"Taylor!" Noah belly laughed until tears were streaming down his face. "You are so funny!"

"Thanks. I work at it." Taylor said with a snicker and picked up the 'how to' directions for putting together the crib.

~~**~~

Luke, Kris and Crystal met at 'Baby Gap'. Crystal wanted to buy infant clothing for her son and his fiancé's baby. She held up a little blue tee shirt that said 'Daddy's Little Boy'. "What sex is the baby Krissy? I know you know. You'd be too excited not to find out."

"I honestly don't know momma." Kris said. "We have to buy clothes that are non-specific I guess."

"Here's one." Luke smiled and held up a white one-piece reading 'Tax Deduction'.

Kris shook his head with a smile and said, "Taylor would like it."

"Then I'm definitely buying it." Luke snickered and put it in his cart. "Oh! This one too. 'Poop happens'!" Luke laughed, "Get it? Like 'shit happens'? Too funny!"

Crystal tossed baby items in her cart too. A few packages of newborn, avocado and gold colored long-sleeved shirts and pants, a few layette sets in various colors, bibs and booties.

"I think that's enough." Kris said, looking into his mother's cart. "Taylor will want to go shopping and pick out clothes too... and the car seat."

"Alright, let's go check out, then I'll take you boys out for lunch." Crystal smiled.

~~**~~

After they were seated at a table and ordered their meal, Kris asked his mom, "So how is dad?"

"He's fine. He's excited to have a grandchild to spoil. I am too for that matter." Crystal smiled. "You don't know how happy this makes us. We gave up on having a grandchild a long time ago, but now..." she shook her head as she became emotional.

Luke sipped his water, happy for Kris, his family and Taylor. He wished he was as close to his family as Kris was. He wondered how his parents would take it if he got married and had a child. Would they come around? Would they accept him? He didn't know; all he did know was that they despised his choice of career and made it known that he was an embarrassment to the family even though he had a pseudonym and no one knew who Kyle Evans really was.

He looked down, feeling saddened by knowing that he would never please his family. Even a child or marriage wouldn't make things right.

"What's wrong?" Kris asked, noting Luke's sullen mood. He took his hand, trying to get Luke to speak.

"Nothing." Luke sighed softly.

Crystal asked with concern. "Luke dear, something IS wrong. Tell us, maybe we can help."

Luke shook his head. "No. No way! It's something...l... have to deal with on my own."

"Luke," Crystal said with care and sympathy. "Is it about the baby?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Luke looked up, meeting her face. "I can't wait to see the little stinker." he smiled, but then it was gone. His dreams of having his own children were dispelled. He knew that Noah was still too wary to entertain the idea of having children.

"Then what is it honey?" Crystal asked, pleading with her eyes for Luke to release the despair she could see on his face.

Kris squeezed Luke's hand, encouraging him to talk.

"Fine I'll tell you, but I have to warn you. It's shocking." Luke cast his eyes downward when he saw Kris and Crystal lean forward to listen.

"I write books, smut. Gay porn." Luke said, waiting for Crystal to get up and leave the table. When she didn't, it surprised him. He continued, "My family is disgusted by it, ashamed of me. I moved out here to get away and to kick start my career. I've been very successful."

"That's great!" Crystal exclaimed. "The part about being successful that is. I wouldn't read your books, no offense, but if it's something you love I say don't let anything stand in your way."

"I know what you're saying is true." Luke looked up. "But-"

"But you still seek approval from your parents." Kris stated. "I hear you there. When I came 'out' my dad didn't talk to me for a while and she," he pointed to his mother. "was disappointed."

"No I wasn't, I was in shock Krissy. I love you no matter what."

~~**~~

Taylor and Noah finished assembling the crib and set the sheet covered mattress into it. Taylor turned and went into his bedroom and came back with a blanket and an infant friendly, stuffed, brown teddy bear. He threw the blanket at Noah.

"Lay that out for me will you?" He asked, holding the bear to his chest and giving it a hug. "It's really going to happen Noah. Isn't it?" he said, staring at the bed with his eyes getting misty.

"Yes." Noah nodded and took the bear from Taylor. He set it in the crib and stared at it, imagining it was a baby. He smiled and wished it were his baby that would be laying there. Then he immediately looked away and forced that thought from his head. _'I'm not having a child anytime soon. I'm not confident that I could raise it properly. Luke was wrong. I don't think I'd make that great of a dad.'_

"Noah, I am so, so nervous and happy at the same time. I can't explain it."

"Why are you nervous?"

"Will I be a good dad? What if I fuck up? What if I decide it was all a mistake?"

Noah noticed that Taylor looked worried sick. "What? You have doubts about this?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you were so sure about this. I am totally floored right now!"

"It's natural to be worried and have self doubts, at least that's what I've been told. Bringing a child into this crazy world is scary." Taylor eyed Noah. "Plus, kids don't come with a manual you know." he chuckled.

"Wow, I just never thought... that you..." Noah shook his head. "You ARE human!" he said before laughing at the silly face Taylor was making at him.

"Don't you think about it? Having a baby I mean?" Taylor asked, walking to the living room with Noah.

They sat on the couch while Noah contemplated how to reply. Finally he looked at Taylor and said, "Yes, Luke has brought it up a few times. We're not even engaged and I don't see that happening anytime soon. I guess I'm afraid to have that responsibility of raising a child, just like your insecurities, I have my own."

"You don't see yourself staying with Luke?" Taylor asked with his brows raised in question and shock.

"I do, but I like our relationship how it is right now." Noah stated before he added, "He wants to get married and have children like you and Kris, but for me, it's too soon."

"Hm." Taylor hummed, gazing at Noah. "You're scared." he smiled and patted Noah's leg. "Or, you're lying about wanting to stay in a relationship with him."

"I'm not lying. I love him- from the very first time I saw him. Remember how cute he was when after I moved in and he tried to talk to me? Screwing up and saying the wrong thing." Noah smiled with the memory. "No, I definitely am in love with him, infatuated and hopelessly obsessed."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for? Propose to him already." Taylor pressed the issue. "I can see how much he loves you. It's like he only has eyes for you. Tunnel vision even. He looks at you like you're a god. Can't you see that?"

Noah chuckled. "I know. It's such a turn on."

"Do you need a push? We can go shopping for a ring right now."

"No!" Noah's stomach clenched tight with fear.

"Ok." Taylor held up his hands. "Jesus, you act like-" he stopped talking when he heard the front door open and saw Luke and Kris enter with bags of baby clothes and items. He rose off the couch and grinned at Kris. "Hi there." he said wrapping his arms around Kris's neck and giving him a kiss.

"Will you take some of this stuff?" Kris asked, handing a few bags to Taylor. "My mom went a little overboard with the clothing. She bought stuff for the baby to wear when he or she is born, all the way up until he or she is over a year old!"

"Great!" Taylor smiled and walked to the nursery. Kris watched Taylor's hips slightly sway back and forth with a dreamy look in his eyes and a hungry grin on his face.

"Go jump his bones." Noah laughed.

"What? No!" Kris glanced at Noah and smirked.

"It's what you were thinking." Noah teased. "I can tell by that expression on your face. Better have all the sex that you can now before the baby comes because you won't be getting any then."

"Really?" Kris asked, looking back and forth between Noah and Luke. "Shit." he muttered and walked away, headed to the nursery. He heard Noah and Luke laughing and rolled his eyes.

"Whoa!" Kris exclaimed as he entered the room. "You and Noah did an excellent job on the crib." He set the other bags down and looked into the crib, seeing the teddy bear. "Taylor...."

"What?" Taylor asked as he bit the plastic price tag off an outfit.

"This is real." He turned around with happy tears in his eyes.

Taylor hurriedly folded the red and yellow outfit and put it in the dresser drawer. He crossed the room and cradled Kris's face and smiled. "God you're adorable. Yes, it is real." He caressed Kris's cheeks, then shouted with joy, "It's really real!"

Luke and Noah shared a look and snickered. "Come to the bedroom." Luke said. "I want to show you everything I bought before I give it all to Taylor and Kris."

Noah gazed into Luke's large, hazel eyes. He saw a sparkle when Luke smiled at him.

Luke cocked his head to the left and asked, "What?"

Noah shook his head and said, "Nothing. Let's go." before he led the way up the stairs. _'He does adore me!'_

"Just so you know, you're in charge of poopy diapers." Taylor whispered into Kris's ear.

"Only if you get up for nighttime feedings with him... or her." Kris whispered back and lifted his head, only to lower it to kiss Taylor's nipple.

"Get the baby oil." Taylor said eagerly as he laid naked on the floor of the nursery.

Kris snatched the bottle off the dresser and rubbed the slick oil all over Taylor's erection. He placed his hands and knees on either side of Taylor's body and slowly lowered his body onto his boyfriend's very erect, very hard thickness. Once Kris's hole accepted Taylor's whole length, Kris began lifting his body up and down, fucking himself with Taylor's cock.

~~**~~

"Do you like this one?" Luke asked, holding up a white shirt with a picture of zoo animals on it. "I think it goes well with the nursery theme."

Noah nodded, but he wasn't paying attention. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about his conversation with Taylor. _'No, I do not want to get married now. There's just too much to think about. Maybe next year or the year after that._

"Noah?" Luke asked stepping up to his boyfriend. "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

"Huh? Oh yea, that one is cute." he said, taking the shirt out of Luke's hand.

"What's wrong Noah?" Luke asked, taking the shirt back and tossing on the bed. He turned back to Noah, expecting him to say what was on his mind.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how much I love you Luke." Noah said, staring into Luke's adoring, love filled eyes.

"I love you too Noah." Luke said with a smile before raising himself slightly give him a quick kiss. Luke turned away and was about to grab another shirt to show Noah, but Noah spoke out.

"Marry me." _'What? Where did that come from?'_

Luke froze. _'What did he say? Marry him? Where did that come from?'_

The room was quiet, not even the sound of their breathing broke the silence.

~~**~~

"Ohhhshhhit" Taylor gasped. "How is it that sex with you is so fuckin' great every single time?"

Kris snickered, "I don't know, but damn Taylor. I think that is my favorite position. You go so deep that I feel so full of you."

Taylor pushed back the wet, sweaty hair on Kris's forehead, then kissed his head. "Let's get dressed." he said sitting up and glancing down at Kris's cum running down his own stomach. "Actually, I'm going to take a shower. Coming?"

"Sure." Kris said and stood up, feeling wetness run down the inside of his thigh. "Hurry, I'm oozing Taylor spoo." he laughed.

Luke slowly turned around and saw the same astonished look on Noah's face that he knew was on his own. "Wh-What did you say?" he asked, beyond belief. "Did I hear you right?"

"Er, what did you hear?" Noah asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"No, you tell me what you said. Please?" Luke paused, then said softly, "Unless.... you didn't mean to say it?"

Noah inhaled and cleared his throat. "Um, I... said... marry me?" He repeated with uncertainty.

"Oh." Luke said, then turned away and began stuffing the shopping bag with the clothes he had showed Noah.

"Luke?" Noah watched his boyfriend with a puzzled look in his eyes. "Aren't you going to, you know, say anything?"

Luke turned slightly and said over his shoulder. "I would reply if I knew you were serious."

Noah walked up behind Luke and put his hands on his shoulders. He rested his head next to Luke's and stuttered, "I- I am." _'I think.'_

Luke sighed. "Is this just because we were talking about it recently. Are you trying to please me? Because I don't want this if you feel forced by me."

"No, I do want it." _'Don't I?'_

Luke hitched his breath and turned into Noah's body. He enclosed Noah within his arms. "Noah-" Luke croaked out, "Yes, I will marry you."

Noah felt every strand of fear he had in his body ebb and vanish. _'I guess Taylor was right, I was just scared. I don't know why, this is no big deal.'_

"Are you happy Noah?" Luke looked up, into Noah's crystal blue eyes.

"Yes." Noah smiled. "You?"

"More than you know." Luke's head rested on Noah's shoulder while he rubbed Noah's back. "I wish we both had family to tell."

"You are my family Luke." Noah whispered into Luke's blond hair, then kissed the top of his head. "We have Taylor and Kris. They're as close to us as if they were our brothers... or really weird once-removed relatives." Noah laughed.

Luke voiced his desire with a thick voice, "Make love to me, right now."

Noah didn't say a word. He picked Luke up and gently laid him on the bed as his pulse rose.

**Chapter: 42**

RATED: PG-13 for Language

SUMMARY: The baby is born.

WARNING: Out of Character. AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

no beta

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"Meet me at the Memorial Union in front in five! Be there!" Taylor yelled frantically into the phone at Kris as he weaved in and out of traffic. It was 9:38 am and he'd just received a frantic phone call from Amber to inform him that she and Cassandra were at the hospital, but that Cassandra wasn't fully dilated yet.

Taylor screeched to a halt in front of the building and craned his neck to look around. He didn't see Kris anywhere. He put the car into drive and said, "Fuck it!" as he started to leave.

"TAYLOR!" Kris yelled as he ran as fast as he could.

Taylor happened to look in the side mirror and saw Kris. He slammed on the brakes and waited.

"About damn time!" Taylor grumbled and pulled away from the curb.

"Sorry, I was across campus when you called." Kris apologized as he buckled up. "Did she have it yet?" he asked excitedly.

"No. Amber said they arrived really early this morning and the doctor was going to induce because her water broke like at 3am and she's slow to dilate. There's a risk of the baby getting an infection."

"Our baby." Kris smiled. He was excited, scared, terrified and ecstatic to meet the little person who had been growing in Cassandra's belly.

"Yea. Ours." Taylor smiled and almost ran a red light. His tires squealed as he braked the car, the front end dipping down, throwing Kris and Taylor forward. Kris put his hands on the dash so his head wouldn't hit the windshield.

"FUCK!" Taylor yelled.

"Take it easy Taylor. Do you want me to drive?" Kris's offered.

"NO! I can do it." he said breathing hard, sweating and shaking. "I just want to get there."

"Well I'd prefer if we got there alive." Kris mumbled under his breath.

~~**~~

"FINALLY!" Taylor shouted impatiently as they arrived at the hospital. Taylor grabbed a parking ticket from the machine outside the parking ramp. He drove inside, scanning the first ramp for a spot, but it was full, as were the next four.

"Goddamn it! Shit!" Taylor said, completely frustrated and irrationally.

Kris tried to help by staying calm. "Just go to the top and park, there's always empty places there."

Taylor glanced at Kris and frowned, "What are you, a know it all?"

Kris gasped and opened his mouth to defend himself, but Taylor's cell phone rang.

"Yea?" he said to Amber.

"Are you coming? I need a break. Cassandra is being... just get your ass here!"

"I'm in the damn ramp now, looking for a fucking place to park! Is she in labor?" Taylor asked anxiously as he took a corner too fast, his tires screeching loudly and echoing in the building. Kris hung on and made sure his seatbelt was tight by tugging on it. The only good thing was that if Taylor had an accident, they were already at the hospital.

Amber shook her head and replied, "No, but the doctor gave her an I.V. of oxytocin and just put prostaglandin gel on her cervix. It'll soften it and get it dilated to 10 centimeters. We're in room 431."

"There's one!" Kris said happily and pointed.

Taylor swerved the car to park in the stall and almost hit the motorcycle that was parked there. "FUCKIN' A!" He yelled. "I have to go Amber! Bye." He tossed the phone at Kris and sped up to the rooftop. Sure enough, there were plenty of spots to park.

"Why didn't you tell me to come up here?" Taylor parked and looked at Kris.

"I- I did." Kris said with disbelief. Was Taylor flipping out?

"I'm kidding Kris. I'm sorry for yelling and I should have listened to you. Let's go. Hurry." Taylor took his hand after they got out of the car and ran.

As soon as they were on the fourth floor in the hospital, they began to jog down the hallway looking for Cassandra's room. They saw Amber come out of a room- they stopped in front of her.

"How is she? How's the baby? Is everything ok? Are you ok?" Taylor fired questions at her.

Amber rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the baby is fine, but she's... God Taylor, what did you do to my girlfriend? She's being stubborn and short with me."

Taylor chuckled and said, "Remember what the Lamaze teacher said."

"Yes, well now that you and Kris are here, you can go in and be at her beck and call for a while. I need to grab a drink. You guys want anything? Soda, juice, coffee...?"

Kris and Taylor shook their heads, then went into the room.

"Hi beautiful." Taylor grinned as he went to the head of the bed. He kissed Cassandra on the forehead and took her hand. "How's it going?"

"Come down here." Cassandra said through her teeth.

Taylor leaned down near her face and asked, "Yea?"

"Get this kid out of me NOW!"

Taylor grimaced and stood up holding his ear. Kris giggled, then covered his mouth when Cassandra shot him a disapproving look.

"It'll be over before you know it." Taylor said, bringing her hand up to kiss it.

Cassandra pulled her hand away and snapped, "Help me up."

"A-Are you supposed to get up?" Kris asked. "Shouldn't you stay in bed?"

Cassandra frowned and held her stomach, she breathed through a small contraction before she said to Kris. "You want me to piss the bed?"

"No." Kris said meekly.

Taylor mouthed, 'It's alright' to Kris before he took the fetal heart rate monitor off Cassandra's stomach, then helped her to the bathroom.

Kris took a seat on the couch in the room and waited, biting his nails nervously. Now he felt like he didn't really want to be here. Taylor walked out of the bathroom and sat next to him. He pulled Kris's hand away from his mouth and said, "She's in pain and it's going to get a lot worse. She doesn't mean the things she says. It's hard to be pregnant. She can't get comfortable because of the contractions and her hormones are running rampant."

"I know. What if she gives birth on the toilet?" Kris looked at Taylor, who laughed and said, "I don't think so."

"I know she won't. I'm trying to make the situation lighter. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day and I'm excited, but at the same time I want to run away from the responsibility. Is that bad?"

"No. I'm scared to death too, but I know once we see our baby's face, we'll fall in love with him or her and nothing will matter." Taylor smiled and was about to kiss him. "Shit!"

Kris opened his eyes and asked, "Now what?"

"The baby bag! It's got the diapers, clothes, formula, bottles and all that shit. I forgot it at home." Taylor said, angry at his own thoughtlessness.

"Call Luke. I think he's home today." Kris suggested, digging his cell phone out of his pocket.

"TAYLOR, GET IN HERE!" Cassandra yelled from the bathroom. "HELP ME BACK TO BED!"

"Can you call him?" Taylor asked, walking backwards to the bathroom as he spoke.

"Sure, no problem." Kris nodded and opened his phone, then rang Luke.

"I need your help." Kris begged his roommate. "Taylor forgot the baby bag in our room at home. Is there anyway you can bring it to the hospital?"

"You're at the hospital? Did Cassandra give birth? Why didn't you call!" Luke grinned happily as he walked to Taylor's bedroom. He opened the door and looked around. The air was stale and smelled like sex. "Jeez Kris, you need to air out this room!"

Kris reddened and chuckled low. "Sorry. The bag should be-"

"Found it. My God!" Luke exclaimed picking up the bag. "What is in here? It weights a ton."

"Baby stuff." Kris laughed.

"How can a little baby need so much? God, my back is going to break." Luke teased as he hoisted the diaper bag over his shoulder before walking out the front door. "You don't sound very anxious. Are you alright?" he asked Kris as he walked to his car.

"Uh..." Kris shrugged and said in a low whisper. "I'm more frightened than anything. What if I make a horrible dad? What if Taylor decides he doesn't want me in the baby's life?"

Luke ducked into his car and started it after setting the baby bag on the passenger seat. He knew stress could warp people's minds causing them to doubt themselves. He answered sounding positive and sure, "Kris, you will make an awesome dad. Taking care of a baby is a huge responsibility and Taylor is marrying you and he picked you to raise this child with him. I know he knows what he's doing. Just think, you're going to have a baby to love and care for. It'll be the greatest feeling ever! "

Luke heard Kris sigh and say, "Yea, you're right." Kris brightened up. "Thanks Luke. You're a great friend."

"No problem. I don't mind stroking your ego now and then." Luke laughed, thinking something else.

"You have a dirty mind my friend. I guess that's why you're such a good porn writer."

"I wasn't always this bad. Noah rubbed off on me." Luke said, laughing again at what he'd said.

Taylor came back into the room, holding Cassandra around the waist and helped her back into bed, then wrapped the monitor back around her.

"I gotta go Luke. See you soon. Oh! Will you tell Noah we're here? He can come if he wants to." Kris said, gazing at Taylor and smiling.

"Yea, maybe after the baby is born give us a call and we'll come to visit. I'm sure Cassandra will be exhausted and won't want us there all day."

"You're probably right." Kris whispered, "She's kinda bitchy, but it's totally understandable."

"I'll see you soon." Luke said and hung up, then he called Noah.

Kris stood up and went to the other side of the hospital bed. Cassandra looked at him and asked, "So, are you really ready to be a father?"

Taylor's eyes left Cassandra's face, raising them to look at Kris.

"Yes." Kris nodded. "I can't wait to see him.... or her, to hold and kiss it."

"What name- UHGOD!" Cassandra yelled and closed her eyes.

"Breath." Taylor said, in a freaked out sort of way.

"I AM DAMMIT!" Cassandra cried out.

Kris took Cassandra's hand and held it as he helped her breath through her contraction.

"They're getting stronger." Taylor observed.

"No shit Taylor!" Cassandra kept her eyes closed as Taylor and Kris looked at each other- wondering just how much worse it could get.

"Where the hell is Amber?" Cassandra turned on her side and tried to bring her legs up into the fetal position.

"She went to get a drink." Taylor said. "Kris, why don't you go and see if you can find her."

"Ok." Kris started to let go of Cassandra's hand, but she held tightly. "You go Taylor. I want Kris to stay with me."

Kris looked at Taylor in shock. She wanted HIM to stay and not the biological father of the baby, not to mention he was one of her best friends.

"See you in a bit." Taylor bent down and kissed her on the cheek before he left the room.

Cassandra opened her eyes and slightly smiled, yet with pain, at Kris. "I know you'll be a good dad Kris. All the classes you came to, all the interest you've shown has proven to me that you'll be good for this baby. I'm really glad I could do this for you and Taylor. I'm also very happy for him because he found true love. Pure love with you. You're a wonderful man and you have been positively... OH! Shit.... Kris!" Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut. "I think it's coming!"

"Shhh.... just breath through it. I'm going to count. Listen to my voice, concentrate on my voice. Ready-"

~~**~~

"There you are!" Taylor said when he found Amber coming out of the elevators.

"Here I am." Amber smiled. "How's my girl?"

"Ehhh..." Taylor's gaze fell to the floor.

Amber laughed. "Told you. She's being a bi-"

"Feisty. She's being how mother's giving birth are supposed to act, remember?" Taylor said, walking back to the room with Amber. "She asked for you."

Amber sighed. "I seriously can't wait until this is over. No offense, but I hope you don't want her to do this again."

"Aw, I wanted Kris to be the father of the next child." Taylor teased, stopping just outside Cassandra's room.

"Yea right, you wise ass. Let's see how you do with this one. If the baby grows up like you, you can forget it!" Amber laughed. "One of you is enough on this planet."

"Would you want me any other way?" Taylor chuckled. "And, how did I get this reputation as--"

"UGHH!" Cassandra yelled, interrupting Taylor. He and Amber ran into the room, seeing Kris by Cassandra's side and a nurse checking her cervix.

"You're dilated to six." the nurse said, then checked the monitor.

"Are you kidding.... AHHH!... ME?" Cassandra yelled as her contraction peaked. "ONLY SIX?"

"Do you want something for the pain?" the nurse asked?

"No." Taylor stated. "We have a plan. No drugs."

"Screw you!" Cassandra shouted as her contraction decreased in intensity. "You try being pregnant and having this pain!"

"Cassandra," Amber pulled Taylor away and took his place at the head of the hospital bed. "Baby, we all agreed that there would be no drugs. We want to stick to the plan, right?"

"Yes." Cassandra sighed. "It just hurts so freaking much!"

Amber wiped the sweat off Cassandra's forehead and kissed her lips. "It's going to be alright. We'll get through this. Have faith."

Kris started to back away to give the women some privacy, but Cassandra held onto his hand tightly. "Don't go." she said to him. "I need you here. You're going to help me, right?"

"Uh, sure." Kris looked at Taylor for his approval since Taylor wanted to be active in the birthing process. He was supposed to be her 'coach'.

Taylor nodded back at Kris, deciding that it was Cassandra's choice and if she wanted to replace him with Kris, it was her prerogative- but it still hurt his feelings a little.

Luke knocked on the door and waited. Kris looked at Taylor and said, "That's probably Luke with the diaper bag."

Taylor answered the door and invited Luke inside. "Hi, thanks for bringing the bag."

"No problem," Luke said, looking cautiously at the bed. "Is she decent?"

"Yes." Taylor said, setting the bag on the couch. "Come in and say hi."

Luke walked to the bed and said hello to Kris and Amber. To Cassandra, he said, "How are you doing?"

"Don't ask." Cassandra muttered, winced and closed her eyes.

"Ok." Luke replied.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Amber asked, looking at Luke.

"He's working. I called him and he's coming as soon as he's done with a shoot. He's on the beach with a female model in a swimsuit." Luke giggled. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

Amber smiled, "A hot chick in a bikini? I'm so there!"

"You leave now and you'll be in grave trouble." Cassandra said with a roll of her eyes. "You promised to be here for me."

"I'm kidding Cassie." Amber said, caressing her girlfriends hair. "Want me to rub your lower back?"

"No, Let Taylor. He's the expert massage therapist."

"My pleasure." Taylor said rubbing his hands together to get them warm before he began massaging and pressing on Cassandra's lower back.

Luke watched, feeling out of place. "I should go." he said as he backed out of the room. "I'll be back later with Noah."

"No, stay." Kris said, looking at Luke. "Who knows when she'll have the baby and when Noah will get done with work. Or, don't you want to be here when she delivers?"

Luke shrugged. "I-I think I'd rather come back."

"ARRRHHHG!" Cassandra yelled loudly with her mouth wide open.

Luke paled and said to Kris, "Yea, I definitely would rather come back after the baby is born." then he dashed out the door, _'Holy Jesus! Be there when she gives birth? I can't listen to her knowing she's in THAT much pain!'_

This time Amber coached Cassandra with her breathing. Once Cassandra was through that contraction, Kris said with sensitivity, "Cassandra? I need to use the bathroom."

Cassandra let his sweaty, red hand go and said, "Hurry back."

Kris nodded to her, then met Taylor's eyes. He beckoned him with a head motion to follow.

Taylor announced, "I'm going to take a leak too. I'll be right back."

Amber replied, "Hurry." and returned her attention to Cassandra. "You are doing so good pussycat. I'm so proud of you."

"I can't do this anymore! It hurts so bad! I just want to go home with you. I want...." Cassandra began to cry. "I want this baby out now.... I cant-"

"Hey, you're strong. Stronger than I am. If anyone can do this you can." Amber kissed Cassandra's temple and dried her girlfriends eyes. "I know you can do this."

"I'm not! I'm not strong. God Amber, it hurts so much- more than I ever imagined! You think your menstrual cramps hurt? Well times that by a thousand." Cassandra whimpered.

Kris walked down the hall, looking for the restroom sign. He saw it up ahead and quickened his step. Taylor kept up, thinking Kris had to go badly.

Kris opened the men's restroom door and stepped inside. After checking the bathroom for other men and seeing he and Taylor were alone, he took his boyfriend into a stall and pulled him into a kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Taylor was astonished to say the least. When Kris pulled his head back to say something, Taylor told him to shush, then he bent down slightly and grabbed the back of Kris's thighs, lifting him. Kris wrapped his legs around Taylor's waist and grinned.

Taylor stepped forward, pressing Kris's body to the wall and held him there. He kissed the area under Kris's ear and murmured, "God, I love you so much."

"Ummmm...." Kris moaned, "I love you."

Taylor kissed a path to Kris's mouth, but before he kissed him, he gazed lovingly into his blue eyes and whispered with his voice catching in his throat, "I am so freaking happy! The baby is coming today! Today Kris!" he kissed Kris's mouth with uncontrollable excitement. It was hot and steamy, sexy and arousing, stimulating and thrilling.

"Where the hell are those two?" Amber said to herself, glancing at the door. She turned back to Cassandra to wipe her face with the cool, wet washcloth. "There. How do you feel?"

"Better, until the next one." Cassandra opened her eyes and stared at her girlfriend's face. "Thank you for being here for me. For letting me do this for Taylor and Kris. For everything."

"Sweetie, we're in this together."

Cassandra gave here a 'oh come on' look.

"Ok, well.... you're the one who's having the baby, but we both talked about it and agreed that it was something we wanted to do for the boys." Amber smiled and caressed Cassandra's cheek. "You are so beautiful right now." she said before she kissed her cheek.

"No I'm not. I didn't have time to shower, do my hair or put makeup on. And this thing," She looked down, pulling the gown away from her chest. "is doing nothing for my figure."

Amber laughed and rubbed Cassandra's arm. "I love you. When you're discharged tomorrow, I'm taking you home and waiting on you hand and foot. I'll make your favorite food, give you a long, hot bath, then I'll tuck you into bed and give you a massage."

"Ahhh, that sounds terrific. Oohhhh.... Am-BER!" Cassandra curled up. "Owwwww!"

"It's ok baby. Breath!" Amber said, her voice rising.

"M'm... I love your kisses." Kris opened his eyes as Taylor lowered him to the bathroom floor. "We better go back."

Taylor said, "You go ahead," then pecked Kris's mouth once more. "I actually have to use the urinal."

Kris opened the stall door as a man entered the bathroom. The stranger saw Taylor exit the same stall as Kris and frowned. "Sickos." he muttered as Kris passed him.

Taylor heard the man and said to Kris, "Hey buddy, thanks for the great ass sex and blow job. Hope I see you around sometime!" Then he waved, seeing Kris's look of embarrassment and shock on his face.

Kris quickly left the bathroom, Once he was in the hall, he began to giggle. Taylor took things so lightly. He could learn a thing from him he decided as he went back to the room.

"Finally!" Cassandra said sharply. "What were you and Taylor doing? Screwing around while I'm here without my coach?"

"Amber was here." Kris said, rushing to the bed.

"I know, but I really need you Kris. Taylor just pisses me off for some reason and Amber, well, I don't want to hurt her feelings. I know you can take it."

"You won't hurt my feelings Cassie." Amber said, assuring her.

"Just let Kris help me. You can hold my hand and Taylor... well he can figure out how he can make this up to me. OH, I know! I want HIM to give birth to a watermelon!" she laughed. "Right out his ass." Cassandra looked at Kris and said, "Make it happen."

Kris grinned and shook his head. He liked Cassandra a lot- Amber too. When Taylor walked through the door, he began laughing hard.

"What now?" Taylor asked inquisitively.

"Do you like watermelon?" Amber giggled while Cassandra hooted loudly.

"What?" Taylor questioned with a puzzled look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"N-Nothing!" Kris laughed.

"Yea, nothing." Cassandra winced again. "Get me some water Taylor. Ohh,Uhmm. Here we go Kris. Amber hold my other hand!"

~~**~~

Hours later, after being checked several times by her obgyn and her nurse, Cassandra was getting tired and impatient. Her contractions were coming on stronger, making her feel semi unconscious from the sheer pain of them. The last one took a lot out of her and she lay whimpering on the bed with Amber trying to whisper encouraging words in her ear.

"Go away." Cassandra said to Amber. "Don't breathe on me."

Kris stood at the head of the bed quietly, doing as he had been told. Taylor was massaging her feet, as requested. He asked, "Are you ok?"

"Does it look like I'm ok?" Cassandra yelled. "You knock me up and have the nerve, when I'm in pain, to ask me that ridiculous question! NO Taylor I'm NOT ok!"

"I'm sorry. Just calm down." Taylor said in a gentle manner. He recalled the Lamaze teacher saying things would be very different in the hospital when Cassandra was giving birth. He wondered where that sweet girl he knew went and hoped she'd come back.

"Not again!" Cassandra groaned. "Here we go." Kris helped her sit up and held her as she breathed.

"Good job Cassandra." Taylor said. "Stay calm and breathe."

Cassandra reached for Amber's hand and squeezed hard.

Finally, Cassandra collapsed on her back. "I feel like pushing. It has to be coming now. Right?" she looked at Kris for confirmation. "Yes." he answered looking at the clock. "The contractions are less than five minutes apart. Taylor, call Luke and Noah." Kris pushed the button on the bed, calling the nurse.

Taylor took his phone out and sat on the couch, instructing his roommates to come to the hospital because the baby would be born soon. He made another other call as well.

A nurse came in and smiled at the group. "How are we doing?" she asked Cassandra.

"**WE** are in a lot of pain and I need to push." Cassandra watched the nurses face.

The nurse checked Cassandra and put her feet in the stirrups. "I'll get Dr. Mathis right now."

The four of them were quiet, knowing that at any time now there would be another person in the room- another life brought into the world very soon.

"Kris," Amber said, "You never told us, what were the names you and Taylor chose for the baby?"

"If it's a boy we've decided on Jackson and if it's a girl we'll name her Kailey. I picked out that name." he said with a smile.

"Those are beautiful names." Cassandra moaned weakly.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Amber asked. She was very curious what Kris would say, because if he said a boy and it was a girl, she wanted to know how he would take the disappointment and if he'd still love the baby.

Kris shrugged, "I don't care either way. I just hope it's healthy and has ten fingers and ten toes."

"And one penis?" Amber asked with a grin.

"Well, if it's a boy I would hope he'd have one. If not, then it's obviously a girl." Kris laughed.

Amber snickered as Cassandra moaned and grunted, "No... I'm done. No more. I want to go home Amber---- Uhhhhhnnnnggg!"

Dr. Mathis came into the room with her nurse just as Taylor got off the phone. The nurse and Taylor approached the bed. Dr. Mathis sat on a stool and rolled over, sitting between Cassandra's legs. "Congratulations. You're crowning. See Taylor?"

"Yea" Taylor said and eyed the top of the baby's head before turning away, saying to Kris, "Wanna see?"

Kris looked at Cassandra. She was still groaning. Amber chirped in and said, "Go ahead, then I want to see."

Kris took a peek and said, "Ew, it looks like a brain."

"The baby's scalp is just scrunched up." Dr. Mathis said with a smile. "Amber?"

"Yea, let me see."

Kris took his place back at the head of the bed. It was the first time he'd seen a woman 'down there'. He didn't think much of it, but he was glad he looked because he saw the baby's dark hair- like Taylor's. He shared a smile with Taylor, then the Doctor said, "Cassandra, on your next contraction, try giving a little push, ok?"

"Ok." Cassandra said, "I need a wet washcloth on the back of my neck. Taylor?"

"I'm on it." Taylor quickly left and came back in record time.

After a few pushes, Taylor noticed that Cassandra was nearing exhaustion.

Dr. Mathis also noticed that Cassandra was getting weaker. She encouraged Cassandra, "Keep pushing. You can do this."

"Just reach down and pull him out, please." Cassandra begged, She was tired of pushing and it was burning down there.

Amber and Kris chuckled.

"Come on Cassandra. On the next contraction, you need to bear down. Kris- you get ready to hold her forward. We have a baby to deliver." Dr. Mathis said, determined to get this baby out within the next twenty minutes.

"Ok, now." Cassandra said, as Kris pushed her forward and held her. Cassandra pushed hard, and grunted, then relaxed when Kris laid her back down.

"Oh my god! It hurts. I'm going to rip in half! I'm going to die!" Cassandra yelled as Amber took the washcloth and washed Cassandra's face.

"No you're not." Taylor said, wanting to laugh at Cassandra's histrionics.

Cassandra raised her head to face Taylor and said, "You don't know that!"

Taylor smiled at her and said softly, "Calm down honey."

In deep menacing voice, Cassandra replied, "If you tell me to calm down one more time, I'm going to punch you in the face!"

Kris and Amber laughed. Dr. Mathis looked at Taylor and put a finger to her lips. "She's focused on you for some reason. Could be because this is your baby, but please be quiet until she's given birth so she can concentrate. Besides, you have the best seat in the house."

Cassandra began to push again. "It feels like it's coming out my ass!"

Dr. Mathis laughed and said, "I assure you it's not. You've delivered the head. Hold still while I suction the nose and mouth." She paused, then added, "The next part will be one shoulder then the other one and from there, the baby will slip right out. Ready?"

Cassandra nodded. The rest of the delivery went without a hitch. Taylor insisted that Kris watch the birth once the shoulder was out. Cassandra was fine with that. She even found the strength to hold herself up so that Amber could watch too. Suddenly, the room was filled with the astounding and magnificent sound of the infant's wail.

"Aww!" The four said at the same time.

"Who's going to cut the cord?" Dr. Mathis asked, holding the baby securely.

"Taylor. It's his baby." Cassandra stated tiredly, completely drained and pale.

After Taylor cut the cord, Cassandra's nurse took the baby to weigh it and check it's color. She wiped the baby off, wrapped it in a blanket and handed it to Taylor. Kris came to his side and looked at the little face surrounded by a yellow blanket.

"Hi there little bean." Taylor said as a tear slipped down his face. He touched the baby's cheek and smiled.

"Taylor." Kris whispered, choked up. "I can't believe it."

"I know." Taylor said, looking up from his daughter's face. "Hold her. I have to talk to Cassandra."

Kris took Kailey, one hand under her neck and head and the other cradling her butt, and held her close to his body. It was the most magnificent feeling in the world. He dissolved into tears as he spoke, "Hi Kailey. Your blond daddy loves you."

Taylor cautiously approached the bed. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, getting the attention of his two friends. He asked, "Can I say something?"

Amber looked at Cassandra, who nodded and held out her hand. "I'm sorry for going off on you Taylor."

"It's alright Cassandra." Taylor said, hugging her and giving her a kiss. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I love you honey." He gave her another kiss and looked at Amber. "You too. I love you both for giving us this gift."

"We love you too Taylor otherwise we wouldn't have done this for you." Amber smiled at him. "How about a watermelon?" she giggled. Cassandra laughed too, but Taylor didn't get the joke.

"Do you want to hold her?" Taylor asked Cassandra. "That is if I can tear her from his arms." he said as he watched Kris walk back and forth, saying something to the baby.

"I would love to, but only if it won't be any trouble."

"No trouble at all." Taylor said and called Kris over to the bed.

As Cassandra held Kailey, Taylor asked Kris, "What were you telling her?"

Kris slightly reddened and said, "I was singing a lullaby. Did you call my mom and dad?"

"Aw, a lullaby." Taylor smiled and grasped Kris around the waist. "And yes, I called. Everyone should be arriving soon."

The nurse inked Kailey's feet and placed them on a piece of paper. Then she gave her a quick bath, diapered her, and put on one of the outfits Taylor chose from the bag. She handed Kailey back to Cassandra just as their was a knock on the door.

"Tell whomever that is, we'll be just a minute." Dr. Mathis said while the nurse was taking both Cassandra's and the baby's vitals once again.

Taylor walked to the door and waited for the doctor's ok. "Just wait." he said to the door.

"It's the four of us." Crystal said, holding Ron's hand with Luke and Noah standing beside them. They had met by chance in the parking ramp.

Dr. Mathis smiled at Cassandra, seeing her hand off the baby to Amber. "Good luck. I'll check in tomorrow and see how you're doing." She turned to Kris and smiled. "Congratulations. We'll call Kailey's pediatrician to come over. You have one already, right?"

"Oh yes. Taylor called a few and met with them. He chose one that he trusts."

"Good." Dr. Mathis heard the baby beginning to stir, then wail. "Better get a bottle ready. She's hungry." Kris nodded and ran to the diaper bag to mix the formula.

"I'm done here for now." Dr. Mathis said to Cassandra. "Before I go, are you ready for visitors?"

Cassandra yawned. "Not really, but hopefully they won't stay long."

Dr. Mathis nodded with a knowing smile. "I'll let them know." she said as she walked to the door. "Let them in Taylor."

Kris's parents and Luke and Noah rushed into the room. Dr. Mathis addressed them before she left. "Cassandra has had a very long day. She's very tired and needs her rest, so I'm asking you all to keep your visit short. Thank you."

Kris shook the bottle to mix the formula, while his mother went to Amber and asked, "May I?"

"Of course." Amber handed the baby over.

"Krissy?" Crystal asked, holding the crying baby. "What is it?"

"A baby mom, geez." Kris approached his mother and handed the bottle over.

"Kris...." Taylor shook his head.

"OH!" Kris hit his forehead. "A girl! We named her Kailey."

"A baby girl! Oh Kris I'm so happy for you and Taylor. She's simply beautiful and she has Taylor's dark hair." Crystal put the nipple in the baby's mouth trying to get it to suckle. It took a few tries, but eventually instinct took over and Kailey latched on.

Ron stood next to his son and watched his granddaughter drink from the bottle stating, "Never thought I'd see the day Kris. I'm so proud of you." He pulled Kris into a hug, saying, "This is something son. This baby right here is going to change your life. Let me tell you, you will never stop wanting only the best for her. You will never stop worrying about her, and you will never stop loving her. Get my drift?"

"Yea dad." Kris said. "I understand." And he did get it. He knew what his dad was saying about Kailey and that his dad felt the same way about him. It came with the responsibility of being a parent, but sadly, not in Taylor's case. His parents could care less about him.

"So, a girl huh? Guess you don't know how to make a boy." Luke teased Taylor.

"I honestly didn't care either way. I just wanted a baby and I got one." Taylor said proudly.

"I think you did a great job Taylor." Noah said, patting him on the back.

"Now it's yours and Luke's turn." Taylor teased his roommate. "Our kids could be best buds."

"Luke and I haven't really decided if we're having kids. We have to get married first." Noah said with conviction. He was very adamant about getting hitched before bringing a child into his and Luke's relationship. He was passionate and romantic that way.

"Well, I do want children. A whole houseful." Luke grinned. "The more the merrier, right Taylor?"

"I-I don't know." Taylor said to Luke after witnessing the fearful look on Noah's face. "That's something you and Noah will have to figure out yourselves."

Crystal walked to Noah and Luke. "Would either of you like to hold Kailey?"

"I do!" Luke said with and eagerness to feel a little body in his arms. Crystal gently set the baby solidly in his open arms, then handed the bottle over to him. Luke sighed with pleasure, awestruck at how little Kailey felt cuddled next to his body. "Ohhh Noah, you have to hold her! She feels so perfect in my arms. I know you'll feel it too." he said with his eyes fixed on Kailey's small face. "Here, hold her Noah."

Noah made up an excuse so he wouldn't have to hold her, "Um, I have to use the bathroom." and quickly left the room. He hid out in the bathroom for a while, hyperventilating. Then he went to the cafeteria to waste more time. He bought a coffee and a raspberry donut and sat at a table.

The nurse entered the room again and asked Kris and Taylor to come with her. They kissed Kailey's cheek before following the nurse, holding hands with excited smiles on their faces.

"Here's your room." the nurse stepped into the room. "You're sure you want the baby to stay in here the whole night?"

"Yes!" Kris answered and looked at Taylor for his confirmation.

"I agree." Taylor said, sneakily palming Kris's butt.

"UH!" Kris gasped, alarmed by the sudden squeeze.

The nurse looked at Kris and asked, "Is something wrong?" to which Taylor chuckled.

"No." Kris said shyly with a blush forming on his cheeks.

"Alright then. The sofa folds out into a bed and feel free to fill the fridge with anything from the cafeteria. I'll wheel Kailey into the room so you can have some alone time with her after your guests leave. Do you require anything else?" she looked back and forth between the two men.

"No we're good." Kris answered.

"If you need anything at all, you can come to the nurse's desk." the nurse said and left.

Kris faced Taylor, giving him a mock scowl, and said, "You-"

"I love teasing you." Taylor said with a husky voice as he pulled Kris into his body. He nibbled and devoured Kris's lips- kissing him without restraint.

Cassandra whispered, "I am so hungry, but I'm so tired. My boobs hurt and they're leaking all over." she sighed, feeling miserable. "Can you ask them to leave? I don't even know Kris's parents and they won't stop talking."

"Luke knows them. I'll ask him to let them know you need rest." Amber said, kissing Cassandra on the cheek. "You need to drink your water." She handed her the cup of water and placed the straw in her mouth.

While Cassandra drank, Amber called Luke over to the bed, but before he approached the women, he handed the baby to Ron, who took Kailey proudly.

"Yea?" Luke asked, smiling at Cassandra. "How are you doing?" Amber whispered in his ear.

"Oh, sure I'll ask them to leave." he said, then walked over to Kris's parents to explain that Cassandra was tired.

"I'll find the dads so they can say goodbye." Luke said and left the room to find Taylor and Kris. They just happened to be walking toward him.

"Cassandra is tired and ready for your parents to leave. Have either of you seen Noah? It's been a while and he hasn't come back." Luke asked worriedly.

"No. Nope." Taylor and Kris answered.

"You could try the cafeteria." Taylor suggested.

"Ok, I'm going to look for him. If he comes back to the room, keep him there please." he begged, then went to the bathroom to see if Noah was still in there before going to the first floor.

~~**~~

"Bye mom and dad." Kris hugged them while Taylor held Kailey.

"If you need any advice about her, don't hesitate to call me." Crystal said to both men. "And don't forget, I'll babysit anytime."

"Thanks momma." Kris said gratefully.

"We'll definitely take you up on that offer, mom." Taylor said with a smile.

"Come on Crystal, let's let the dads get acquainted with their daughter." Ron said, taking her hand.

"Wait." Crystal said, pulling him to Cassandra's bed. "I just wanted to thank you for doing this for my son and Taylor. You have such a big heart and..." Crystal began to cry at that moment, overwhelmed with the generosity of one person.

"I wanted to do this. Taylor has been a great friend to Amber and I. Sometimes he can be a pain in the ass, but we love him anyway." Cassandra said with a smile.

Amber glanced at Taylor. He was still holding Kailey, kissing her and talking gibberish while Kris's fingers caressed her cheek. Amber smiled. "They both are going to be great dads. Look at them. They can't take their eyes off her."

Cassandra, and Kris's parents took a long glance at the proud parents of Kailey.

"They're already head over heels in love with her." Cassandra grinned with the knowledge that Kailey was in good hands.

"Thank you both." Crystal looked at both women. "This was an amazing thing you did and I know Kris appreciates it so much."

"I'd do it all over again... I think," Cassandra laughed, then yawned.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Ron said. "Thank you girls. You've made not only Kris the happiest man alive, but Crystal and I as well."

"You're welcome." Cassandra said. Amber covered her up to her shoulders with the blanket and walked Kris's parents to the door. "Bye." she said, then turned to Taylor and Kris.

The nurse rolled in the crib and suggested that Taylor put the baby down so she could sleep. Taylor sighed and set Kailey in the portable crib. Kris grabbed the diaper bag, waved to the women and followed Taylor and his daughter out the door, down the hall and into their private room.

~~**~~

Luke entered the cafeteria and saw the back of a dark haired man. He'd recognize those wavy locks anywhere. Standing behind Noah, he said irritably, "Where the hell have you been?"

Noah jumped and turned around. "Jeez! You scared me!"

Luke walked around the booth and sat across Noah. He placed his folded hands on the table and stared. "Well? Explain."

"I was hungry." Noah pointed to his empty plate and cup.

"Maybe I was too. Why didn't you come back to the room Noah?" Luke asked suspiciously with his hazel eyes set ablaze with a pissed off look in them. _'Ah Ha! He didn't want to hold Kailey! What the fu-'_

"I was going to come right back up. I swear. I just finished my coffee." Noah lied. The truth was that he'd finished a good five minutes ago, but he couldn't seem to move when he was done.

_'Oh! I bet he's jealous! He wants a baby!'_ Luke smiled slyly and reached for Noah's hand. He grasped it tightly and said, "I know what this is about. You don't have to worry Noah. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Ready?"

"Yes. All you have to do is let me know when." Luke's eyes penetrated Noah's blue ones with a look of everlasting love.

Noah nodded. _'He wants to get married right away. I guess that wouldn't be so bad. We're already committed to each other. We'll have to go out and buy rings. Hmm...'_Noah nodded before he answered. "How about tomorrow?"

"Really?" Luke sat back, stunned. _'We're going to a clinic to find a surrogate already? I just fell more in love with him!'_

"Yes. We can go pick out ones we like in the morning if you want, or is that too soon?" Noah asked. _'After we get rings, we can head to Vegas and get married. Boy, that's fast.'_

_'We're going to pick a mother tomorrow!'_ "Oh Noah! You've made me so, so, so happy!" Luke stood up, sat next to Noah and hugged him so tightly that Noah almost toppled over.

Noah laughed and said, "Alright, get up before someone thinks we're being indecent."

"Wanna go see Kris, Taylor and Kailey quick?" Luke asked as he stood up.

"No, I'd rather take you home and 'see' you." Noah flirted with a mischievous smile.

**CHAPTER: 43**

SUMMARY: Baby comes home, Luke and Noah's plans don't go according to plan and Luke makes a stupid, a really stupid mistake/decision.

WARNING: Out of Character. AU

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*no beta

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While Taylor and Kris were awake at the hospital, watching with dual cringes on their faces as the pediatrician gave Kailey her newborn shots and a physical, Noah was driving Luke to a reputable jeweler he'd searched on the internet on Luke's computer. (He couldn't sleep last night, so he waited until Luke was sound asleep and went on-line to do some research, found a chapel that would 'marry' them, as well as book a flight to Nevada and back)

When Noah parked in front of the building, he looked around and questioned Noah. "What are we doing here?"

"We have to buy rings before we have our ceremony. I thought you were smart enough to know that. What did you think we'd use? Those plastic rings around a milk jug?" he laughed.

_'Oh that's right, 'marriage', THEN kids! Noah is really taking this baby stuff as serious as I am.'_ "Ha, Ha, Noah. You're not very funny," Luke said sarcastically, then added with a chuckle, "but your cute butt makes up for your shortcomings."

"Humph." Noah grunted with a grin and opened the front door of the jewelry store.

"Thank you sir." Luke said to Noah and walked inside. He approached the first counter he saw. Placing his hands on the glass, he leaned forward to look inside at the selection. Watches and broaches filled that case.

"Over here Luke." Noah said, standing to Luke's right. A woman in her forties was waiting on him.

Luke smiled and went to Noah's side. His hand rested on Noah's lower back as he looked into the case filled with an assortment of rings. Some were very expensive, others were more reasonably priced. The one that caught his eye, the one that 'spoke' to him, was a 14 karat gold, satin finished, band with three brilliant, round, channel-set diamonds.

"How about two of those?" Noah pointed to a simple 14 karat, polished gold band. Just under 1,000. "Not too expensive, and yet they're elegant." he said, looking at Luke who looked disinterested. "Alright, which one are you eyeing?"

"Uh, well..." Luke raised his head and faced Noah with a slight blush as he stuttered. "I-I kind of like that one." he looked down, pointed, then glanced at Noah to see his reaction.

Noah stared at the diamond ring. He had a feeling it was really expensive, but he wanted to please Luke. He swallowed hard and looked at the saleslady. "May we see that one please?"

"Excellent choice." She smiled as she bent down to unlock the sliding glass behind the counter. She reached in and pulled the ring from the dark red, box and handed it to Luke.

Luke's breath caught in his throat as he held the beautiful ring between his fingers and thumb. He turned it this way and that and thought, _'It's perfect. This is the one.'_

"Well sir?" the saleswoman asked, smiling knowingly at Luke. She could see that she had him hook, line and sinker- that is until Luke looked up and slowly handed the ring back after seeing the price on the small tag inside the ring.

"I'm sorry. It's beautiful, but..." Luke shrugged and looked at Noah. "The gold bands are nice. Let's get those."

"No." he told Luke and held his hand out. The saleswoman gently placed the ring in Noah's hand and said, "It's a gorgeous ring."

Noah nodded, bringing it closer to his face to study it, then he saw the price. He glanced at Luke out of the corner of his eyes, then let them drag down his body. _'SO worth the price!'_

"We'll take two. You do have two, don't you?" Noah quizzed.

"I'm sure we do. Our sister store would have another if we don't. Let me check in back first, then I will size both of you." the saleswoman said.

Miraculously, the store did have a few rings in the back and the jeweler was able to make a minor adjustment on one ring to fit Noah's finger.

"Can we put them on?" Luke asked, carrying the silver bag with the boxes holding their rings inside it to Noah's truck.

"No, we need to have the ceremony and then we can put them on." Noah laughed nervously.

"Alright. I can't wait. It's going to be fantastic. Too bad Kailey was so small, she could be our flower girl and Taylor and Kris our best men." Luke said after sitting in the truck. He faced Noah and said, "It was strange that I paid for your ring on my credit card and you paid for mine on yours, don't you think? It's like I paid for my own ring. Thank you for getting this style too. I know you, and I could tell you weren't to excited about it. I mean it looked like you thought the ring was too-"

"You talk too much." Noah said, placing his hand on Luke's neck. He came close to Luke's lips, staring at them the whole time while he licked his own with the anticipation of tasting his fiancé's luscious ones.

"Noah-"

"Shut up." Noah said sternly right before his mouth covered Luke's in the most tender and loving way possible, taking their breaths away instantaneously.

Luke sighed on Noah's lips as he reached up with one hand and placed it on the back of Noah's head, drawing him closer.

~~**~~

"Well?" Taylor asked.

"Yea." Kris replied as he took a look around. "What do we do first?"

"She's stirring. Why don't you take her out and sit in the recliner while I make a bottle?" Taylor suggested before he put the removable car seat on the floor of the living room.

"Ok." Kris put the diaper bag down and yawned as he sunk into the comfortable recliner. "Ahhhh" he sighed and yawned again. "What a long night huh?" he called out to Taylor, startling Kailey. Her whimpers and cries drowned out Taylor's answer.

"Here." Taylor came back into the room with the bottle. "What the hell Kris? Get her out of the car seat. How are you going to feed her from there?"

"I wasn't thinking. I'm so tired." Kris stated after he knelt on the floor to unfasten Kailey's harnesses. He yawned again as he lifted her up and cradled her. After he sat down, Taylor handed him the bottle and said, "I have to shower. Will you be alright for a few minutes?"

"Yes." Kris smiled at his daughter and said in a high voice, "Won't we sweetie? Yes we will. Your blond daddy has you and I'm not letting go. No I'm not." Then he whispered, "Not until your hot daddy comes back and takes you."

Taylor smirked happily and kissed Kris's head, then his daughter's cheek. "Take care of him Kailey." he said and kissed her again.

Kris watched Kailey's face as he held her. She was so beautiful with Taylor's good looks and dark hair and Cassandra's high cheekbones.

Taylor stripped and stepped into the shower. As he was lathering up his body, he thought back to last night and how willing Kris was to get up almost each time during the night to feed Kailey- close to every two hours like the nurse told them. He knew Kris was exhausted, so was he. That's why he took his shower first. He'd tell Kris to take his shower and go to bed for a nap. Kris wouldn't object if Taylor insisted.

He yawned as well. He was too excited to sleep last night. He had been fueled with adrenaline from the days events. _'I have a daughter! A baby!'_ he thought with tears in his eyes, then suddenly remembered Kris needed rest and he rinsed off his body.

Taylor dried off, then picked up his clothes to put in the hamper in the room. He hesitated and looked at the heap in his arms, then he pulled out his underwear and tossed them on the floor for Kris. He chuckled as he dashed into the bedroom and put on a clean pair of underwear, a tee shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Your turn kiddo." Taylor said as he entered the living room.

"Shhh. She's almost asleep. Watch at her eyes." Kris grinned.

Taylor bent forward from the back of the recliner. He looked down and saw Kailey's eyes open wide, then slowly close, but not all the way. Taylor rested his chin on Kris's head and said, "I'll take her. I want you to shower and take a nap. I know you're tired."

"I can stay up." he yawned after he answered Taylor.

"Get going." Taylor said in a fatherly voice.

Kris nodded and answered, "Ok."

Taylor leaned farther down and whispered dirtily into Kris's ear, "I left a little present in the bathroom for you."

"You did? What is it?" Kris asked, suddenly awake.

Taylor laughed as he walked around the recliner and bent down to take Kailey out of Kris's arms. "You'll find out when you get in there." He sat down with his baby girl and held her near his shoulder, burping her. "Hi little bean." he whispered in her ear.

Kris couldn't run to the bathroom fast enough. "SCORE!" he yelled out when he saw what Taylor left for him, then covered his mouth.

Taylor chuckled low and deep when he heard Kris's expression of eagerness and approval.

~~**~~

"Ok, now you're freaking me out. What are we doing at the airport?" Luke asked when Noah pulled into the parking garage.

"We're having a commitment ceremony today in Vegas this afternoon. I found a place that will 'marry' us. Actually there are several, but this one looked romantic even though it was right on the strip."

"This is, wow, so much to take at once."

"You don't want to?" Noah stopped what he was doing to face Luke. "Because if you aren't sure, Luke, I want to know right now. Not after the fact." _'Shit, do I even want to? I planned this in the middle of the night without a second thought. Is it too soon? No, what are we waiting for? But it's so rushed. I don't know what to do now. We're already here, we may as well go through with it. That sounds really romantic.'_ he thought sarcastically.

"No, I WANT to marry you! I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you for as long as I live."

Noah cast those feelings of doubt aside and replied to his fiancé. "Good because I'm not keeping you around after you're dead!" He laughed and grabbed Luke's hand. "Have you joined the mile high club Luke?" he teased.

"No." Luke shook his head. "The area in those bathrooms is too cramped. Besides what if you accidentally step into that blue water in the toilet? You'll have a blue pant leg and everyone will know what we were trying to do. Um, have you before?" he asked cautiously.

Noah shook his head. "No, but I've received head in there. You're right about the amount of space in there. The area is too small to do anything other than that."

"Head? A blow job? Who gave you a blow job on a plane?" Luke asked, his jealousy rising.

"A guy." Noah said and looked away.

"Zachary, right?" Luke looked down. Did everything, even their wedding day, have to include Zachary?

"No. someone else." Noah answered pulling Luke along. "We have to get in line for our tickets, hurry."

"I'm going as fast as I can." Luke pouted. He knew Noah had more boyfriends than he ever did, but he still felt weird when Noah would talk about them- even though he was the one giving Noah the third degree.

"Who was it Noah?" Luke pried, knowing he should drop the subject right now if he knew what was good for him. He didn't want to fight with Noah, then not get married because Noah was too ticked off.

"A guy, you don't know him." Noah said smiling at the man behind the counter. "Noah Mayer and Luke Snyder for Las Vegas at 1:10. I paid on-line and we don't have luggage to check."

"Yes, I see you on the computer. I'll print out your tickets now." The man stared at his computer screen, then looked up and eyed Noah with an amused look.

Luke stared at the man, scrutinizing him, and stepped closer to Noah to ease his mind and stop his overactive imagination.

"There you go Noah Mayer." the man handed the tickets to Noah and smiled. "Have a great time in Vegas. Remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

"Um, thank you." Noah gave him an odd look, then took turned to Luke. "The gate is that way." He pointed.

Luke crossed his arms. He was very interested in knowing who this 'guy' was that Noah had flown on a plane with. He quickened his step to walk next to Noah and glanced at him. "I want to know before we say our vows or pledges or whatever they do at a commitment ceremony."

Noah sighed loudly, possibly huffed, and stopped in his tracks. He looked at Luke, then around at the people milling about. Noah put his hands on Luke's shoulders and walked him backwards to the wall, holding him in place so he could look at him and keep him from dashing off.

"You're the one who keeps pressing the issue. All I asked, is if you've done it on a plane." he said in a low voice so others wouldn't hear him scold Luke. "Why in the hell do you want to know anyway? It's over and done with, in my past. The guy means nothing to me, but you do. Can't you see that?" Noah partly scowled, his temperature was rising with his anger.

"I-I just want to know Noah. I don't really know why." Luke gazed into Noah's sizzling, scorching blue eyes that were conveying his pissed off mood.

"Fine!" Noah said sternly through his clenched teeth and a furious look on his face. "It was a guy from 'Hot Men'. His name is Ian and he's a model that posed naked for the magazine. We hit it off. We took a ski trip one weekend and flew to the Aspen's. We fucked the whole weekend and we never left the bedroom! We didn't ski and I don't think we ate anything the whole time we were there. In fact, we didn't even wear clothes the whole weekend!" Noah turned around and strode angrily away.

Luke looked down with tears in his eyes. _'Now I did it. Why did I need to know that? Wait, WE'VE never spent a whole weekend in bed.'_ Luke looked in the direction Noah had left and pressed his lips together to stop them from trembling. _'What is wrong with me? Am I envious of his other lovers? I'm with him now, not them. I'm engaged to him, getting 'married' and going to have a family with him. Why did I have to ruin this day?'_

Luke began dragging his feet to the gate. He saw Noah standing at the large window, staring of it, watching the planes taking off and landing.

Luke sat down, grasping the bag with their rings inside and anxiously bit the inside of his cheek. He knew he wrecked this day. It had started so wonderful and full of surprise, then he had to go and ruin it with his wonderment about Noah's past. What had been his motivation? Why did he need to know? He wondered.

Luke stared at Noah's back for a long time before deciding to approach him. He silently went to the window and stood a few feet away from Noah.

In a quiet voice, he murmured, "I'm sorry Noah."

Noah didn't look at him, but replied in a snippy tone, "I don't get you. What is this need to know everything about my ex's? We were doing so good these past months, even with Zachary in the picture, them boom, you go crazy and ask all these absurd questions about my past. Where did it get you? All you've succeeded in doing is pissing me off! Are you happy now? You know, I don't ask you about the guys you've been with because I know you love me. I know you won't leave me for anyone else. You don't seem to feel the same way about me though."

"Nothing has changed. I feel the same way-"

"Don't feed me that line of bullshit Luke. I'm smarter than that. Give me some credit." Noah grumbled. "I don't want to go to Vegas anymore." Noah said and finally looked at Luke. He tore the bag out of Luke's hand and said, "I'm going home. Here's your ticket. You can go gamble or whatever." He thrust the ticket into Luke's hand and walked away leaving Luke with his mouth hung open, a wounded look on his face and an ache in his heart.

Luke went after Noah and followed a few feet behind him, thinking, _'I'm going off on him unreasonably. He just asked me a fucking question about the mile high club and I make a huge deal about it. He thinks I was questioning his faithfulness and now he's canceled our trip. I am an asshole. Why couldn't I have been honest and told him that I'm scared and not sure about getting 'married' right now instead of blowing things out of proportion? I really hurt him and I didn't mean to. My mouth ran off because I freaked out about Vegas.'_

Noah turned around to head back to the gate to get Luke, and saw Luke following him with his head down, tears falling off his chin and his arms wrapped protectively around his body. Noah's heart went out to him. He opened his arms and caught Luke. He heard him whispering, 'I'm sorry' over and over in his ear.

"Let's go home." Noah said, backing up slightly to raise Luke's face. Luke felt worse than ever. Would he ever get married? Not that his life revolved around the idea of a commitment, he had one with Noah, but it would have been nice to wear the rings to show that he was taken and in love and loved.

Luke didn't really want to go home and stew. Kris and Taylor would be there, extremely happy that they had a child and Luke couldn't deal with 'happy' people right now, not when he felt so low.

~~**~~

Kris immediately fell asleep naked on his and Taylor's bed. He didn't dream – he was that tired. Taylor put Kailey in her crib and turned on the baby monitor in her room and the one in his and Kris's room. He was dead tired as well. He laid next to Kris and stared at his face for a while before succumbing to sleep.

Unlike Kris, Taylor did dream. First about his and Kris's wedding, then his dream flash forwarded to the future. Their daughter in elementary school being ridiculed for having two dads, then having no friends and being left out. Then in high school, he dreamed of her dating and having her heart broken, having the distorted view that she should be skinny like a model, that she didn't like herself, and then that she would dress a certain way and attract some sicko that would hurt her and leave her irrevocably mentally and physically damaged.

He tossed and turned grunting in his sleep, trying to rid himself of the images of the harsh, cruel world he'd brought an innocent child into. He woke with a start, seeing that Kris was still zonked out. He sighed and put his hands on his own face. With a grown, he thought of his dream. He wasn't usually so negative, but now came the responsibility of raising a child and his whole perspective on life changed. He ran his hands down his face and turned his head. He smiled when he heard Kris murmur before he raised his hand to stroke Kris's blond hair.

Kris didn't wake up, but let out a long moan before turning over. Taylor licked his lips and sat up, staring at Kris's body. He gave a quick glance at Kris's face and knew he shouldn't wake him up, but he couldn't help himself. He leaned over Kris's crotch and carefully picked up his soft cock. He covered it with his mouth and slowly began to circle the shaft with his tongue, feeling the muscle in his mouth harden and grow to it's full length and thickness. He stopped his motions when Kris let out a small 'M'mm'. When Kris was quiet again, he moved his head up and down, careful not to wake his sleeping fiancé.

"Ohhh" Kris groaned in a gutturally. He cleared his throat and raised his head. "Shit Taylor, what are you doing?" he asked, his eyelids heavy from sleep deprivation.

Taylor raised his head and looked at Kris guiltily. "I had a bad dream. I need you."

"You're using me to forget your dream?" Kris asked with his brows drawn together.

"Yea?" Taylor lowered his eyes, feeling ashamed.

"Then get to it." Kris smiled.

Taylor's gaze lifted when he heard the frenzy of lust ooze from Kris's lips. He watched Kris tease him, running his tongue across his top lip seductively and intentionally slowly, tempting Taylor.

"Jesus." Taylor said breathlessly and bit his bottom lip. His gaze was broken when Kris bucked his hips and said, "Make me cum." in such a way that Taylor couldn't deny him, nor did he want to. He bent his head down and went to work, eventually swallowing the smooth, hot blasts of Kris's offering. Taylor sat up and wiped his mouth before smiling at Kris. He crawled his way to Kris's lips and kissed him deeply.

"Taylor." Kris broke away. "Your turn." he said, reaching for the button on Taylor's shorts when they heard whimpering and the start of a crying jag.

"Shit." Taylor mumbled.

"I'll get her." Kris said, then looked down. "Uh, maybe you better. I don't want her to see me naked."

Taylor laughed and said, "She's a baby. She can't even see clearly yet. Remember? And it's not like she'll think anything about you."

"Still..."

"Alright, I'll get her. You put on some underwear." Taylor left the room chuckling. He brought her into their bedroom and laid her between Kris and himself, staring at what Kris was wearing as he stifled a naughty comment.

"Hi Kailey." Kris cooed, tickling her under her chin. "Taylor, I think you better change her."

"You can. Go out and get the diaper bag." Taylor said as he sat up and began undressing her. "Go on."

Kris stood up and stretched his arms to the ceiling. Taylor stared at his bare chest and strong thighs. "God, maybe you should put some clothes on."

"Oh? You don't like me wearing just this?" Kris smiled sexily as he looked down at the jock he was wearing.

"I love it. It's really sexy." Taylor's eyes lifted to Kris's eyes. "Just get the diaper bag. Oh, can you make a bottle? I have a feeling she's going to be hungry."

"Sure." Kris said and walked out, his bare ass capturing Taylor's interest. "God Kailey, your daddy is a hot piece of ass." he said looking at her face. He covered her up with the blanket on the bed until Kris came back.

Kris slung the diaper bag over his shoulder and walked to the kitchen. He took a clean bottle off the counter and began to make pour the formula into it when Luke and Noah came home.

Kris gasped when he turned around and saw his roommates staring at him.

"Uh... er... I- um, shit." Kris muttered.

Noah snickered, but Luke turned away so as not to embarrass Kris. "I'm going for a walk." he stated and left the townhouse.

"Planning on working out?" Noah asked as Kris took slow steps to his left to get back to the bedroom and to keep Noah from seeing his ass.

"No, I'm comfortable just wearing jocks." Kris lied and looked down. "I have to feed Kailey, so if you'll excuse me?"

Noah laughed and said, "Sure. Go ahead, I'm going to the loft." He carried the bag with the rings to the bedroom and put them in his drawer, wondering if he should return them or not. He decided that he wouldn't. He and Luke would make up soon and all would be well.

Luke walked to the outside mall, looking inside stores uninterestedly. _'I royally screwed up. Noah is really ticked off at me. I spoiled his surprise. I don't deserve him. Yes I do, what am I saying? I know he loves me. We're just having a small argument and we'll work it out. I do want to get married, then have kids right away. I have to tell him how I feel. It'll be ok.'_

Noah sat on the bed contemplating how he'd let this marriage turn him into someone he wasn't. He decided to be honest with Luke and tell him that he really wasn't ready. _'We've known each other less than a year. It's not time for me. I'll know when the time is right. Won't I?'_

Luke walked into a bookstore and scanned the magazines until he found the one he was looking for. He picked up the latest issue of 'Hot Men' wondering if Noah's conquest was in it. He wanted to buy it, but he couldn't stash it at home because Noah would see it.

"Ty, look at that." a nineteen year old nudged his friend, Carson.

Carson glanced at Luke and smirked. He nodded to Ty, then approached Luke.

"That's a pretty good magazine." Ty said, pointing to the clear plastic wrapped magazine. "You like that guy on the cover? I know him." he lied.

"Um, he's ok. What's his name?" Luke looked up, wondering if it was Ian. He saw Carson and Ty staring at him. They were standing close to each other, so he assumed they were a couple.

"Mike." Ty replied, making up a name quickly.

"So, what's your name?" Carson asked with a smile.

"Um, Luke." he replied feeling uncomfortable.

"'Um Luke'." Carson laughed. "Nice name, 'Um Luke'."

"No, it's just Luke."

"'Just Luke'. That's even better." Ty said with a short laugh. "What are you doing today 'Just Luke'?"

"Hanging out." he answered with a shrug.

"Us too." Ty said, winking at Carson. "Wanna hang out together?"

Luke took the time to study their faces. It couldn't be any worse than being alone and it would take his mind off Noah for a while. He shrugged, put the magazine back on the rack and asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Carson looked at Ty before looking back at Luke. "It's after lunch, but we skipped it. Are you hungry? We could find somewhere to eat and talk."

Luke had also skipped lunch. "How about there?" He pointed to a restaurant near the mall. "We can walk over there."

"Nah, I'm not in the mood for taco's and burritos. How about that one place... what was it Carson?" Ty asked. "We ate there a few weeks ago."

"Oh yea!" Carson exclaimed. "The Steak House."

"I'm not familiar with it." Luke said. "Where is it?"

"You can follow us in your car, but I have to stop off at my apartment first to pick up some letters I have to mail."

"I didn't drive here, so maybe I shouldn't—"

"Carson and I don't mind giving you a ride. Right Carson?" Ty asked his friend.

"Not at all. You can ride with us Luke. We'll eat, then maybe shop around town. How does that sound?"

"I don't know... I should go home." Luke said warily.

"No problem. Do you want a ride?" Ty asked. He watched Luke pondering how to respond to his question.

"Yea, the sooner I get home, the sooner I can make up with my boyfriend." Luke said, walking to the door of the bookstore.

Ty and Carson shared a sneaky smile as they followed Luke out the door.

Carson spoke up, "This is my car right here." He stopped at a green Chevy. Ty insisted that Luke sit in the front seat, so Luke did because it would make it easier for him to give directions back to the townhouse.

"Take a right." Luke said as they exited the parking lot. "Hey!" Luke balked because Carson took a left.

"I have to stop at my place first, remember?" Carson met Ty's eyes in the rearview mirror. He raised his eyebrows at him, then glanced at Luke. "Remember I mentioned that?"

"Yea, but I'd rather just head home." Luke said, his stomach warning him something was off. "Just let me off at the next light."

"Luke, what's up? If you really want to go home first I'll take you. Let me turn around up ahead. Oh damn! No U-Turn here." Carson pretended to look around.

Luke crossed his arms and looked out the window feeling susceptible and vulnerable. _'What am I doing here? I feel trapped. What was I thinking taking a ride from two strangers? They're a 'couple' so it should be ok, right? Noah did say that I was acting unreasonable today, maybe I still am. My head isn't in a good place right now and I'm overreacting. These guys are just guys, not serial killers or anything.'_

"You know Luke, we're really close to my apartment. Can we just stop off there? I promise that I'll be really quick." Carson uttered to Luke.

Ty chimed in, "Yea Luke. He lives just about a mile away."

Luke sighed and turned in his seat, eyeing Ty. "Alright. If we're quick."

"You got it." Ty smiled at Luke, but Luke noticed something was missing in Ty's eyes, or maybe it was his imagination. That feeling in Luke's stomach came back full force.

"I don't feel so well." Luke stated, feeling sickly. Something about the tone in Ty's voice had rubbed him the wrong way.

"Dude! Don't puke in my car!" Carson freaked out.

"I'm not going to puke." Luke muttered snottily. "I said I don't feel well."

"Sorry." Carson said, sounding convincingly sincere. "Ty puked in my car last week after having a few too many and I don't ever want to clean up anything like that again."

Carson laughed, seeing Ty's look of shock on his face in the mirror because that was a lie.

"Oh." Luke said, feeling like an idiot. _'I am exaggerating the situation. Why do I do that? I need to relax and chill out!'_

"Here we are." Carson said, pulling into his apartment's parking lot.

**CHAPTER: 44**

RATED: R- for slightly 'disturbing' content

SUMMARY: Luke's fate comes to light

WARNING: Out of Character

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*no beta.

Taylor and Kris dressed and walked out to the living room. They sat by each other on the couch; Taylor holding Kailey close as he patted her back gently.

Kris reached for the remote and turned on the tv to watch the evening news.

Noah hadn't known that he fell asleep until he woke up feeling groggy. He went downstairs and teased, "It's good to see you wearing clothes Kris, actually, you look good without them too." he chuckled, recalling the jock he'd seen him in earlier

"Noah, that's MY fiancé you're hitting on." Taylor warned jokingly and kissed Kailey's head. He sniffed the newborn smell on her and sighed.

"I'm just giving him shit." Noah said, approached Taylor and leaned down to look at the baby. "She's pretty good huh?"

"Yes." Kris answered, "If you like getting up every two or three hours."

"Speaking of fiancé's, where's yours?" Taylor questioned as he met Noah's eyes.

"I was about to ask you two the same thing. You haven't seen him since he left the house? He hasn't called?"

"No he hasn't." Taylor replied seeing the look of discouragement on Noah's face.

Noah dug out his cell phone and checked for messages. There weren't any. He tried calling, but Luke had turned off his phone. "I think I'll take a drive and look for him." Noah said troubled by Luke's disappearance and the length of time he'd been gone. He walked to the front door to slip on his sandals.

"Hope you find him Noah." Taylor said in a hushed voice so he wouldn't wake the infant sleeping in his arms.

"Want me to come with you? I can look while you drive." Kris offered. He stood up and turned to Taylor. "If that's ok with you."

"It's fine. Go help Noah. But," Taylor smiled. "give us a kiss before you leave."

Kris grinned and replied, "I was going to! Oops." he said when Kailey squirmed.

Taylor gently rocked her back and forth. "It's ok." he said to Kris. "She's still asleep."

Kris bent down and kissed the top of Kailey's dark head of hair, then kissed Taylor's soft, lush lips. "See you in a little while."

"Come on Kris." Noah stated impatiently. "I'm worried."

"Coming." Kris said, looking into Taylor's eyes. "I love you and Kailey. Tell her when she wakes up."

Taylor nodded with a chuckle and said, "Me too and I'll tell her. You better go." He looked around Kris's body and saw Noah standing at the door with his hand on the knob, tapping his foot rapidly.

Kris jogged to the door, gave a quick wave to Taylor and followed Noah to his truck. "Did he say where he was going?" Kris asked, looking out the windshield for the tall, blond man.

"No, he said he was going for a walk remember? We had an argument earlier." Noah ground his teeth as he drove, thinking that if everything had gone well, he and Luke would be enjoying honeymoon sex right about now.

"I don't see him. Maybe he's at the mall?" Kris suggested.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check." Noah said and pulled into the parking lot.

~~**~~

"Dammit!" Noah yelled, hitting his steering wheel. His emotions getting the better of him. "Where the hell is he?" His anger was being voiced, but he kept his fear and the feeling of crying at bay.

Kris jumped in his seat at the sound of Noah's booming voice. "I don't know." he muttered, pressing the button to lower the window. He leaned out and yelled, "Luke!" but Noah grabbed his bicep tightly and pulled him back in.

"Kris! Just look around PLEASE?" Noah glanced at him angrily.

Kris nodded, opting to keep his mouth closed unless he saw Luke. His eyes scanned and searched the area. **"OH MY GOD! THERE HE IS!"** Kris yelled, pointed at a dirty man lumbering on the sidewalk with his head down.

Noah squinted and made a discouraged noise with his mouth. "No it isn't. That guy..." Noah drove closer. "is a bum or something."

"No! Look at his clothing. Those are Luke's jeans! I'd recognize that hole in the thigh anywhere!" Kris hit Noah's arm repeatedly. "It's him! Pull over!"

"Oh-No..." Noah shook his head with disbelief. "What the fucking hell happened to him?" Noah asked no one. He did an illegal U-Turn and stopped on the side of the street. He quickly put his truck in 'park' and got out despite cars and trucks honking angrily at him for blocking one of two lanes of traffic.

"Luke!" Noah's voice screeched- filled with a frantic, scared, fearful tone to it.

Luke looked up, his face dirty except where his tears had washed the dirt away. "N-Noah?" He rubbed his eyes and ran to Noah. Noah embraced him tightly and kissed his neck.

"What happened? Where were you? Luke?" Noah asked, the sides of their heads resting against each other.

"I want to go home." Luke wept on Noah. "Take me home."

Noah wrapped his arm around Luke's shoulders protectively and led him to the truck. "Kris? Can you get out so Luke can get in and sit in the middle, next to me?"

"Yea, what happened?" he asked, looking at Luke's disheveled look and mussed up hair.

Luke shook his head and got into the truck. Kris followed him, sitting right next to him. He stared at Luke and picked leaves out of his hair, then threw them out the window as Noah began to drive.

They both held one of Luke's hands as they drove back to the townhouse. Luke couldn't stop crying and the sound echoed hauntingly in Noah and Kris's ears.

When Kris let Luke out of the truck at the townhouse, he immediately ran to the front door and entered, looking like a scared child. Luke saw Taylor and Kailey, but he ignored the 'hello' and the 'wait, what happened'. He ran up the stairs to the loft right as Noah and Kris came running into the house after him.

"Where..." Noah gasped, out of breath.

"Upstairs." Taylor answered Noah. To Kris he asked, "What's going on. Why does Luke look like that?"

Kris shook his head, watching Noah taking the stairs by two's. "I don't know. He was just walking on the sidewalk. He hasn't said a word about it. He's just been crying. I'm afraid for him." Kris plopped his body next to Taylor's and took Kailey. He held her tightly and said, "You should go and see if he's ok. He listens you."

Taylor stood up and looked to the open door of the loft, seeing darkness and hearing heart wrenching sobs from Luke. "Ok, I'll try." Taylor said. He climbed the stairs slowly and when he reached the top, he took a moment to compose himself, then asked, "May I come in?"

Noah was cradling Luke within his arms and asked, "Luke?"

"Ok." Luke said in a hollow voice.

"Come in Taylor." Noah replied and held Luke closer.

Taylor swallowed and stepped into the dimly lit room. He sat next to Noah, who was holding Luke on his lap.

"Luke?" Taylor began. "Do you want to talk?"

"No- shower- I'm- so- dirty. I want to shower." Luke stood up, then pushed Noah away when he tried to hug him again. He took three steps to the bathroom when Taylor spoke up.

"Um Luke?" Taylor eyed him up and down. "Let Noah take some pictures of you before you undress."

"No."

"I think it's best." Taylor said adamantly.

"Please Luke?" Noah begged, turning the dimmer switch all the way up to brighten the room. He unzipped his camera bag and took out his camera.

"Noah, I just want to get clean. Please?" Luke's tears ran down the clean path the others had paved for the fresh ones.

Noah looked helplessly at Taylor. He knew he was too much in love with Luke to do the right thing, because what he wanted to do was let Luke shower. "Taylor? I--"

Taylor nodded, understanding Noah's predicament. He walked up to Luke and met his eyes. "You have to let Noah take pictures of you. Something happened, am I right?"

Luke's lip trembled. He looked down and nodded.

"Ok then, we need documentation." Taylor said in a soft, compassionate voice, "Noah, me and Kris will attest to you having been.... whatever happened, but it'll help if we have pictures."

"Fine." Luke squeaked and lifted his head to look at Noah.

Noah trained his camera on Luke and took several head shots and full body shots to show how anguished Luke was, in addition to the current condition his clothes and face were in.

"Can you turn around?" Noah asked with his pain and sorrow affecting the tone in his voice. He watched Luke turn and took pictures of the back of him too. "Done." Noah said, setting the camera on the bed.

Luke started for the shower, but Taylor held him in place. "Noah has to do some without your clothes on. I'll step out of the room."

When Kris looked up, he saw Taylor at the top of the stairs. He smiled and waved. Taylor felt his heart speed up with love for Kris and smiled back.

Luke pulled the filthy shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor, then he crossed his arms around his body. Noah picked up his camera and tried to persuade Luke, "Put your arms down please, Luke?"

Still at the top of the stairs, Taylor continued to gaze down at the living room. Kris was changing Kailey and telling her what a good girl she was. Taylor smiled and thought Kris was the most perfect, most loving dad ever. _'Just think, I tried to dissuade him after our one night stand how many months ago and look where we are now. I am so lucky he didn't give up on me. God and all the shit with Cassandra and Gavin too. Jesus, I AM really lucky. Anyone else wouldn't have put up with my shit and would have left me.'_

Noah finished taking pictures of Luke's chest and stomach. There were no bruises or signs of damage, just mentally, until Noah noticed that the belt Luke always wore was missing. He was about to ask, when Taylor turned his head halfway and asked, "Everything alright in there?"

"Yea." Noah answered Taylor before saying to Luke, "Turn around."

Luke stared at Noah, shaking his head slowly side to side as more tears poured forth from his eyes. "No." he whispered.

Noah's heart stopped beating. His mouth went dry. His eyes became cloudy with tears. A steady escalating sense of dread and terror rendered him speechless and motionless.

"I can't Noah." Luke said and tore his frightened eyes away from Noah's worried ones.

Noah finally blinked. "Did you get..." Noah couldn't finish his train of thought. It was too horrendous to think about. "Taylor?" Noah called him, sounding panicked.

Taylor stepped into the room and saw how stiff his roommates were. "Uh, what do you need?" He asked, staring at Luke, then glancing at Noah.

"I need him to turn around. He won't and I'm not sure I can- can..." Noah licked his dry lips and handed the camera to Taylor. "Can you take the pictures? The zoom and focus is set. Just aim and shoot."

Taylor nodded and looked though the view finder until he saw Luke. "Ready."

"Please Luke?" Noah begged again. "Turn around?"

"Luke, do it so we can get the creep." Taylor said in a tone that Luke couldn't say no to. Now Luke knew how Taylor could get Kris to do just about anything he wanted.

Luke glanced at Noah and hung his head as he took small steps to turn himself around.

Noah inhaled noisily while Taylor lowered the camera to see if what he'd seen through the lens was really what was before him. "Fuck." he whispered.

"Oh my god Luke!" Noah cried out, then covered his mouth. Tears flowed from his eyes as he stared at Luke. His Luke.

Taylor muttered 'fuck' again and raised the camera when he realized how uncomfortable Luke was. He needed to get these pictures taken right away before Luke ran to the bathroom and locked himself inside.

Noah resisted the incredibly strong urge to run to Luke, to hug him, to kiss him and make everything better, but he couldn't because he knew Taylor needed time to finish snapping photos.

Taylor lowered the camera. "Done." he said to Noah, but Noah shook his head. "Luke, please take off your pants."

"Noah I-"

Taylor broke in and said gently, "Luke we're almost done." He stared at Luke's back still wondering what happened. Whatever it was, it had to hurt like hell.

Luke undid his jeans and pushed them down, leaving his briefs on. The knees of his jeans had been dirty, but his legs didn't have any wounds or marks on them, but Taylor snapped away anyway.

"Can I shower now?" Luke raised his head and his eyes.

Noah gazed at Luke, his dirty face, neck, hands, and arms. He nodded. "Yes. Do you want me to help you?"

Luke nodded slightly embarrassed. "Will you?"

"Anything for you Luke." Noah stated with conviction.

Taylor was proud of Luke, and Noah for that matter. He replied, "I'll go downstairs then, but first, Noah? Can I speak to you alone for a moment?"

Noah was about to protest, but Luke nodded. "I'll get some clean clothes. Er... Taylor? Would you throw these away." he asked, picking up his dirty clothes and handing them to Taylor.

"I can't throw them away, but I'll put them in a brown paper bag for evidence." he replied, skirting around the issue of addressing what happened to Luke.

Noah stood next to Taylor and asked, "What?"

Taylor whispered, "Even though he seems fragile now, you have to keep him talking and get him to go willingly with you to the police department."

Noah sighed and watched Luke fidgeting in his underwear, in the corner of the room. Noah was glad to see Luke's briefs weren't soiled or dirty. He answered Taylor, "I realize that. I just don't know if I can be objective about it. I mean, I want to keep him here and safe. I want to take care of him."

"He NEEDS to go to the cops and tell his story Noah. You KNOW that." Taylor whispered with force in Noah's ear. "Be strong for HIM."

"Ok. Yea, you're right." Noah continued to look at Luke, then asked, "What do you think happened? I don't know if I can bare to know."

"You knowing what happened is nothing. Think about what he went through- it's got to be ten times worse than how you feel. Man up Noah." Taylor stated with a sharp look, turned and left the loft to return to Kris and their baby.

Noah shed his clothes before leading Luke into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up, then helped Luke step into the steady stream of water. Noah moved Luke back so his head was under the water, then washed his hair with shampoo.

Once Noah was done washing Luke's hair, he lathered up a washcloth and began washing Luke's body, starting with his face. He was happy to see Luke's clean face again, but the sorrow in his eyes was hard to take.

"It's going to be ok Luke." Noah said softly as the washcloth left circular tracks on Luke's chest and stomach.

"It will be, if I still have you." Luke said lowering his gaze. He was unsure if they were still a couple after their fight earlier in the day.

Noah bent down a little bit to look into Luke's eyes. "Luke, you have me! For as long as you want."

Luke began to cry. "Forever Noah, forever."

Noah reached around Luke's waist and held him.

~~**~~

"So what happened?" Kris asked apprehensively. He winced, fearing the worst.

"I don't know, but Luke's.... fuck..." Taylor closed his eyes still seeing the vision of Luke's back behind his eyelids. "I just.... Noah will find out and then we'll know everything."

"You know something, don't you?" Kris worried his forehead. "You can't tell me? It's bad isn't it? Shit, shit... shit! Is he... did he get... Taylor?"

"Shh, don't wake Kailey." Taylor covered Kris's mouth. "And watch that dirty language. I don't want her picking up on it and her first word being 'shit'."

Kris drew his brows together and looked at Taylor through angry blue eyes until he withdrew his hand from his mouth.

"Sorry." Kris whispered. "I want to know. Luke was so miserable when we found him."

"Alright. I'll tell you what I saw, but Luke didn't say a word about what happened."

Kris nodded and listened with his mouth agape.

~~**~~

"Let me help you." Noah said, taking the tee shirt from Luke's hands. He slipped the shirt over Luke's head and pulled it down, then straightened it. "There." he tried to smile at Luke.

"Thanks Noah." Luke gave him a short, small smile.

Noah shivered.

"Aren't you going to get dressed too?" Luke asked, seeing goosebumps and two perfect, pink, pert nipples on Noah's shuddering body.

"Yes." Noah smiled and ran a fingertip down Luke's nose. "Then we're going to the station so they can take your statement."

"No!" Luke yelled and backed away from Noah. "I can't report them."

"Them? There was more than one?" Noah asked astonished, but more so, he was furious. Not at Luke, but the 'them' who had warped a mentaliy to hurt someone like this.

Luke ducked his head. "Yes. They'll come after me if I tell. They have my wallet. They know where I live."

Noah sighed, Luke was mugged, not raped.

"If we go to the cops now, they can pick them up and put them in jail." Noah took a step towards Luke.

"Noah. Please. Don't make me." Luke begged, fear made his pupils dilate and his eyes appear larger than they were.

Noah would have done anything for Luke at this time, including not forcing him to do something he didn't want to do, but Taylor's words rang in his ear. _'I can't be Luke's boyfriend right now. I have to be like a father to him. I have to make him do this. It's the right thing to do. I have to cage my emotions and deal with this. I can do that. I HAVE to do this for him. He needs me to be the stronger one.'_

"We're going as soon as I get dressed." Noah said without a trace of doubt in his voice and turned away from Luke before he saw the disappointed look on Luke's face. He hurriedly threw on his clothes, grabbed his camera, then put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "Let's go." he said and urged Luke's body forward.

Luke walked heavily down the stairs and across the living room to the front door.

Kris and Taylor felt bad for Luke, but there was nothing they could do for him. Taylor pointed to the recliner. "Don't forget, Luke's clothes are in there."

Noah picked up the bag and thanked Taylor.

"Good luck." Kris said. "I hope everything goes alright."

Luke nodded and said, "Me too."

Outside, Noah opened the truck door for Luke and closed it for him after he was situated on the seat. Noah walked around the truck and got in.

Luke played with the hem of his tee shirt and asked in a small voice, "Do you want to know what happened? I can tell you before we get to the station."

Noah took a peek at Luke and reached for his hand. Squeezing it to give Luke strength, he answered, "Only if you want me to know." Noah rolled his eyes. "I mean, yes I want to know, but if reliving it with me, then having to say it again with a cop is too much, I understand."

"No, you have a right to know as my fiancé." Luke said as he stared down at his sandals. "I went for a walk like I said. I went to the bookstore in that outdoor mall and...."

~~**~~

"Then what happened?" Detective Harper asked Luke. He was a tall, handsome, black man with very short hair and built like a truck.

Luke took in a shaky, scared breath and spoke,"We all got out of the car. I knew something wasn't right. I felt it." He took a sip of the water that was brought in by another detective when he was taken into the interrogation room. He swallowed hard, as if the water were thick. "My intention wasn't to go into Carson's apartment, but I needed to get out of the car to get away. I was really scared because Ty was walking behind me like he was watching my every move. I kept looking around to find an out or someone to yell to, but there was no one."

"So they said they were going to do something to you? Did they threaten you?" Detective Harper asked.

Luke shook his head, speaking with hurt in his voice, "Not right away. At first, it was a feeling I had. The way they spoke to each other and to me. It was just different." Luke leaned forward on the table. "Don't you ever just get that feeling?"

"Yes." the detective said while he watched Luke's face, "When I know someone is guilty I feel it in my gut. Alright Luke, continue with your story."

"It was then that Carson turned around and motioned with his head to the woods next to the apartment. Ty grabbed my arm, but I shook him loose and ran as fast as I could to the woods. I thought if I could hide in there they'd leave me alone." Luke looked down and mumbled, "But it didn't work."

Detective Harper nodded, adjusted the tape recorder so it was closer to Luke. He waited patiently and even left the room momentarily, when Luke began to cry, to get a box of tissues and to bring Noah in the room to comfort him.

Luke grabbed onto Noah and held on for dear life. "Stay with me." he said into Noah's shoulder.

"He can stay, Luke, if we can stay on track here and get your version of what happened to you on tape." Detective Harper said sympathetically, seeing that the twenty-something was so upset and traumatized. He was eager to get out there and arrest the bastards who hurt Luke. He'd been eager from the moment he'd seen Luke's back firsthand and the pictures Noah took of his state of disarray when he and Kris had found him. The punks had to pay. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be by his hand. A pair of officers were sent out to pick up Carson and Ty after Luke identified them by their mug shots. They were two known troublemakers who had been arrested before on minor drug charges and theft.

"Ok, I'm alright." Luke nodded at Noah and turned to Detective Harper again. "I ran into the woods and stumbled around and fell over a fallen tree. They caught up to me." Luke sniffled and bit his bottom lip hard.

Knowing this was the part where Luke had been terrorized, Noah showed his support by wrapping his arm around Luke's body and pulling him closer.

Luke sighed with the contact. It seemed to calm him down. Being in Noah's arms made him feel loved and protected. He started to speak again after he wiped the tears that had run all the way down his cheeks to his jawline. "They trapped me. One on each side of me. If I went left they did too, if I went right, they went that way. Soon they closed in on me. Ty grabbed me and Carson hit me on the back of my head with something.... a thick branch maybe. It made me dizzy and I fell to my knees. One of them was taking my wallet out of my pocket while the other one was taking off my belt."

Detective Harper and Noah heard the tremor in Luke's voice and saw that his body had begun to quake.

"Can he take a break?" Noah asked, softly petting the back of Luke's head.

Detective Harper was about to agree to Noah's request when Luke said, "No. I want to get this over with. I want to go home and forget this ever happened."

Detective Harper took a deep breath, knowing this was probably the hardest part. "Take your time Luke. Don't rush it and don't force it. If at any time you need to stop and rest, do it. Let's take it slow."

Luke nodded and took another sip of water. "Ok." he said, getting himself worked up to do this. "I curled up into a ball so they couldn't hurt me. I covered my head and heard them taunt me, then--"

"What did they say Luke. I need to know." Detective Harper said. "It'll help your case."

"Case? I don't want to go to court!" Luke spoke out loudly with a frozen look of fear on his face. "I don't want to see them ever again!"

"Does he have to go to court?" Noah asked, pulling Luke's head to his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. That is, if he wants them put away for a long time." Detective Harper stated.

"Noahhhh...." Luke moaned.

"I'll be there for you." Noah said reassuringly. "I won't let anything happen to you and if they look at you the wrong way or smirk at you, I'll be on them so fast they won't know what hit them." Noah heard Luke sigh softly.

Luke lifted his head and gave Noah a smile. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I don't know what I'd do without you and thankfully I don't have to find out." Noah caressed Luke's cheek as if they were the only ones in the room.

Detective Harper busied himself with Ty and Carson's file while Luke and Noah spoke to each other.

"Ok. I'm ready to continue. You wanted to know what they said? Degrading things. Threats. Disgusting and mean things."

"Such as?"

Luke looked down and composed himself before he looked up again. "Uh," he hesitated. He felt Noah's hand massaging his shoulder and concentrated on that while he spoke. "They said, the word faggot and pervert a lot, uh, they threatened to-" Luke cleared his throat. He was red with embarrassment, but gathered the courage to speak. "-- to 'fuck me up the ass.' Carson told Ty to make me give him a blow job. He didn't, but it scared me to think that either one of them would 'abuse' me that way."

Luke paused to catch his breath, then continued, "I was crying so hard, wishing I was home while they were talking about what they could do with me besides rape me. Ty said, 'I've been wanting to do this since we saw the flaming bitch.' That's when I heard Carson laugh, and then I felt excruciating pain on my back. They were using my belt to hit me- the end with my buckle on it. I think they hit me three or four times while they kept calling me names and--" Luke paused as he became emotional again.

Noah grabbed a tissue and handed it to Luke. "Want to stop for a while?" he asked, concerned about Luke's mental state.

"No." Luke shook his head, lifting it to meet Detective Harpers eyes. He started rocking back and forth as he told him what else happened. "They were yelling that... um, ass fuckers and cock suckers don't belong... don't deserve..." Luke sighed and shook his head. "They said that I'm a worthless piece of shit and should have my... dick cut off and fed to me, shoved down my throat. That's when I heard a car door slam. They must have heard it too because they ran away. I looked around to escape, but I couldn't see the parking lot, much less four feet in front of me for that matter. Dirt and tears were in my eyes. I got up and stumbled through the woods, tripping and falling until I came out, somewhere away from the apartments. I made it to the sidewalk and walked. I couldn't think. I just wanted to get home to take a shower."

Detective Harper flexed his muscles and made tight fists. Some of his best friends were gay. "Is that everything?" he asked Luke, swallowing his anger and kept quiet about the two assholes that were intolerant of gays.

Noah also had to bite his tongue. He didn't want to cause Luke more stress right now. He sucked his bottom lip in and closed his eyes, hoping that was all. This was the point where Luke had stopped talking on the way over here.

"Um..." Luke looked at Noah nervously. "They said if I came to the cops that they would..." Luke murmured 'oh god' then finished his sentence. "They w-would come t-to my house a-and do permanent damage to me and m-my boyfriend."

Detective Harper nodded and asked, "Did they say what that damage they would do to you and Noah?"

"Yea." Luke shivered. "Carson told me that he'd make sure I never talked again and Ty said he'd tie me up and make me watch... watch them... ah, rape Noah and beat him up. Carson said after that, it would be my turn."

Noah and Luke heard Detective Harper's rough breathing. They looked at his face and saw a very anger flame in his eyes and the muscles in his jaw clenching and unclench. Detective Harper reached across the table and picked up the tape recorder and once again announced the time, the date, his name, Luke's name and that this was the end of end of the interview. As soon as he was finished, there was a knock on the metal door. He placed his hands flat on the table and lifted his body, standing straight up. He walked to the door, opened it and nodded at one of the officers.

"Harper, we have the two in custody. Found them at Carson's apartment. We also searched the woods and found the belt and wallet. The lab is getting prints off the items. There's no money in the wallet, but everything else seems to be there- credit cards and a license. Do you think we could get a solid, positive I.D. on them from Luke?"

Detective Harper turned and looked at Luke to question him about it, but Luke's face was filled with alarm and dread and he began to quiver involuntarily. He was having trouble breathing, then his face turned pale and he buried his face in the space between Noah's neck and shoulder.

**THE CHASE**

CHAPTER: 45

WARNING: Out of Character. Au. Language. fluff

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*no beta.

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Noah never let Luke out of his reach. All the way home, he held Luke's hand, when they walked into the townhouse, he had his arm around Luke's shoulders and when they passed through the door and briefly sat on the couch to talk to Taylor and Kris, Noah had his hand on Luke's leg.

Noah told Taylor and Kris what happened, Luke had asked him to tell them in the truck. Talking about it was taking a toll on him and he was getting tired.

Kris and Taylor stood up. Taylor sat next to Luke, hugged and kissed his cheek. "You were very brave to go to the station and I.D. them Luke. We're all proud of you. You got these creeps off the street."

"Thanks Taylor." Luke mumbled with a long yawn.

Taylor stood up when he heard Kailey on the baby monitor. He went to the kitchen to make a bottle before he went to the nursery. Kris immediately took his place on the couch. He stared at Luke with tears welling up in his eyes. He hugged Luke tightly for a long time, whispering, "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm so sorry Luke."

Noah watched, still keeping contact with Luke's body by rubbing Luke's shoulder.

"Does your back hurt? Am I hurting you?" Kris pulled away to see Luke's face.

"No, the detective had a nurse come by. She gave me a high strength prescription for Tylenol. The guys that did this--"

"The fuckers, you mean." Noah interrupted, scowling at the mention of the ones that did this.

Luke nodded. "They didn't break the skin on my back too bad. I have welts and some scrapes from where my belt buckle hit me. Thank god someone unknowingly saved my life when they shut their car door in the parking lot." he said. "I'm fine though Kris." he added when Kris looked appalled and the tears in his eyes finally fell. Luke reached up and swept them away, then took Kris in his arms again.

Kris gently squeezed his roommate and said with misery, "Luke, I don't know what to say. I can't believe this. None of us would be the same without you. I love you and I know Taylor does too."

"Does what?" Taylor said inarticulately, as he rounded the corner to the living room. He was holding Kailey in his arms, and the bottle by putting the nipple in his mouth and pressing his lips together.

"We all love Luke and we're glad he's safe." Kris reiterated.

"M'm h'm." Taylor nodded as all three roommates on the couch laughed.

Taylor arched an eyebrow at them and tried to smile. He bent low and put Kailey in Luke's arms and took the bottle out of his mouth and gave it to Kris to hold. "Would you like to feed her?" He asked Luke with a grin.

"I'd LOVE to!" Luke smiled a king sized smile.

Kris gave Luke the bottle and said, "Just nuzzle it on her lips first, then she'll open her mouth. Burp her after she drinks an ounce or two. See on the bottle?" He pointed at the measurement etched on the side.

"Ok." Luke said and did as Kris had told him. His heart soared when he did it right. He watched Kailey's lips engulf the nipple and her little jaw move up and down as she sucked. Her eyes were closed, but Luke knew they were a beautiful shade of blue.

Noah wrapped his arm around Luke and watched him feed Kailey. He looked up when Taylor spoke, "Kris and I haven't had time to eat much less make anything for supper. I'll order something and pay. What sounds good to you?"

Noah looked at Luke, but he was engrossed with Kailey. He glanced at Taylor and stated with a nod, "Get Luke's favorite, Chili's. He likes the caesar salad, a cajun chicken sandwich with mashed potatoes instead of fries, I'll just take a smokehouse burger."

Taylor closed one eye as he tried to remember. Kris brought a pad of paper and a pen into the room. He handed it to Taylor, who scribbled down the order. He wrote down what he wanted and told Kris to go into the bedroom to order, but before Kris could walk away, Taylor grabbed Kris's wrist and pulled him back. He gazed into Kris's eyes and smiled. "Thank you." he said in a grateful voice, then kissed him. His tongue played on Kris's lips, parting them, then taking command of his mouth. He heard Kris moan and decided that was enough. He didn't want to start something he couldn't finish. He and Kris were exhausted even though they had taken a few naps here and there. Taylor reluctantly broke the kiss, knowing his fiancé had a major hard on. "Sorry kiddo, I just wanted a kiss, not the whole package." he whispered. "It wouldn't be fair to leave Luke and Noah with Kailey while we go off and fuck."

"But-" Kris whined as his eyes opened.

"No," Taylor continued to whisper as he pulled Kris into the kitchen to talk. "not after what Luke has been through. I'm using Kailey as a distraction right now. After supper he and Noah will want to spend time alone. We can't impose on them now by asking them to watch her."

Kris stuck his lower lip out, pouting. Taylor chuckled and pulled at it with his fingers. "You're adorable when you make that face. Irresistible, almost." He let Kris's lip snap back and said, "Go order the food, then pick it up while I try to establish how Luke and Noah are. God could you imagine going through what he went through?"

"No," Kris said with the feeling he was going to cry again. His arms came out of nowhere and wrapped around Taylor's neck. He laced his fingers and rested his head on Taylor's chest. "If it was you, I couldn't go on."

Taylor embraced Kris and squeezed him. "Yes you would kiddo. You'd have to, for our daughter's sake. Besides, I think I could handle myself. It's you I'd be worried about. I'd be like Noah. He hasn't taken his eyes of Luke for more than a second and his hand is always somewhere on Luke's body." Taylor felt Kris's body jerking. "Hey, it's ok." he said, raising Kris's head by placing a finger under his fiancé's chin. "Aw, baby." He saw tears in Kris's eyes. He rose his hand and placed it flat under Kris's ear then brushed his thumb against Kris's cheek, wiping the wetness away.

"Why don't the three of us go pick up the food? You, me and Kailey. It'll give Luke and Noah some time to talk privately. "

Kris nodded and agreed that what Taylor had suggested was a good plan. Luke was burping Kailey when Kris and Taylor walked back into the room after phoning in their order.

"We're going to pick up supper." Kris announced as he took Kailey from Luke. Taylor brought out the car seat and made sure Kris put her in properly. He even checked whenever he, himself, put her in the chair just to be sure she was secure.

"Ok." Noah smiled, grateful that he'd get to be alone with Luke for a while.

"See you." Luke said and placed his hand over Noah's, which was currently on his thigh. They watched Kris and Taylor leave, then Luke looked at Noah and said frantically, "Noah! Go lock the door! What if Carson and Ty told their friends about me and where I live?"

Noah rose off the couch and locked the doors, then checked the patio doors too. "There. Better?"

Luke nodded, but he was still frightened. If Carson and Ty were as bad as Detective Harper said, then wouldn't their friends be just as bad or even worse? "What if they come with guns? What if they hurt Taylor and Kris? And Kailey! Or YOU! Noah what if-" A soft slap across Luke's face startled him, but it also shut him up and calmed him. His rampant thoughts broke, then he did- he broke down crying in Noah's arms.

"Luke, we can't live in fear because of two fuckin' imbeciles. We have to carry on. I'm here for you and nothing is going to happen to our..." Noah searched for a word for their roommates and their baby. "... our family." he smiled and ran his hand up and down Luke's back.

"Thank you Noah."

"Luke," Noah fought for the right words to say to Luke.

Luke raised his head and searched Noah's eyes. "Hm?"

"I--" Noah shook his head. Blurting what he was thinking wasn't what he wanted to say. He closed his eyes and visualized the words coming together in his mind. "Ok." he said, opening his eyes and meeting Luke's eyes. "I'm sorry I fought with you this morning." _'If only we had went to Vegas and got married he would be alright!'_

"The fight isn't completely your fault. I messed up too. I was insanely jealous of your past and I had no right to question you about it. It was stupid of me. I thought if we could talk about it, then we wouldn't be bringing in old baggage into the marriage." Luke placed his hands on Noah's cheeks.

"That's all it is Luke. Old baggage that I've thrown out a long time ago. But, if you really, and I mean **really**, want to know, I guess I have no qualms about telling you. But I also don't want it coming between us or you making a big deal out of it. My past is not a big deal unless **you** make it one. **I love you and you alone**. Nothing will change that."

Luke leaned in and kissed Noah. "I never get tired of listening to you say that to me. I love you too."

Taylor let Kris drive so he could turn around in the passenger seat and check on Kailey now and then. She was sleeping soundly. He turned his body to face forward again, but his eyes were on Kris's profile.

"You are sooo..."

"Huh?" Kris asked, taking a quick glance at Taylor. "I'm **so**... what?"

Taylor leaned over, dangerously close to Kris."You Are So Hot." He answered in a voice that got Kris's attention.

Kris whirled his head and looked at Taylor. "What?"

"Um-hm, hot." Taylor blew hot, moist breath on Kris's neck, then murmured, "Watch the road sexy daddy."

Kris gasped in a breath and held it as Taylor's tongue made it's presence known on the outer rim of his ear. "Tayyy...lor..." Kris moaned and forced his eyes to stay open.

Taylor looked out the window and saw that Kris had full control of the car. He went back to work, this time on Kris's tender neck. Nibbling and murmuring against his skin.

"I really, really, really want...."

Kris let out his breath slowly. "Want what?" he asked, heat blossoming in his groin.

"Really want to fuck you." Taylor purred.

Kris let out a sound between a whimper and whine. "Shit." he breathed hard.

"What did I tell you about that mouth of yours?" Taylor asked as his hand slid under Kris's shirt.

"But you said 'fuck'."

"I didn't ask you what I said." Taylor smirked, pinching a nipple hard because he knew Kris liked it rough sometimes.

"AH!" Kris gasped loudly.

Taylor chuckled and said, "Yea, I love that sound Kris. I want to make you scream just like that when I thrust my firm, thick, engorged cock into your tight, perfect little hole." Taylor heard Kris's breath hitch and kept going. "Would you like that **Kris**? Do you want me to stuff your asshole full of hard dick?" Taylor grinned on Kris's neck, then pulled at the delicate skin with his teeth.

"Oh shi-- um, shoot yeaaaa." Kris groaned, focusing on the road, but unknowingly drove past Chili's.

"I thought so." Taylor spoke seductively in Kris's ear again, "I'll slide it right in there, into that hole that I had the privilege of popping. Back and forth, in and out, pumping and thrusting. Wrapping my fingers around your cock and moving them slowly up and down your shaft. Making your slit all wet with desire. Mmm, I love the taste of pre-cum." Taylor's hand ran down Kris's chest and rested on his abdomen.

"Taylor?" Kris asked, but stopped talking when Taylor's hand pressed against his erection. "Ohhh Taylor."

"Ohh what?" Taylor smiled and kissed Kris's cheek. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what?" Taylor asked, giving Kris's erection a squeeze.

Kris rose his hips off the seat, into Taylor's palm, and whooshed out a breath. "I- I think we're lost."

Taylor sat back and looked out the windshield, frowning. "No, you just drove too far. Turn around ahead." he said, then laughed.

"You're mean." Kris said as he squirmed in the seat- trying to get his jeans to fit more comfortably.

"Heh, heh, I'm mean?" Taylor asked with a chuckle.

"Yes. You." Kris put the left turn signal on and waited for the green arrow. He faced Taylor and said, "Talking dirty to me and getting me all hot and bothered. Where's the payoff? I mean I'm stuck here with an enormous steel rod in my jeans!"

"Enormous huh." Taylor snickered. "Maybe... somewhat huge--"

"Eh! Thanks a lot. I'll make you go without for a while, then you'll change your mind." Kris teased and turned left, making a legal U-Turn.

"I can go without longer than you. Besides, we've both been too tired to 'do' anything with Kailey waking us up." Taylor said and put his forearm on the door's armrest.

"It's kinda sad that our sex life has to be put on hold, but I don't mind because we have a beautiful, healthy daughter."

"It doesn't have to be put on hold. We just have to be more creative, that's all. Turn here." he said, pointing at the large 'Chili's' sign.

"I see it." Kris responded and pulled into the parking lot. He stayed with Kailey while Taylor ran inside.

Taylor came back out with two large bags and a goofy smile.

"What?" Kris asked as Taylor set the food on the floor in the backseat.

"Nothing." Taylor chuckled.

"No, what?"

"It's nothing, really." he said sincerely.

"I still want to know." Kris demanded.

"You're kind of bossy tonight, aren't you?" Taylor teased and pinched Kris's nose.

"Stop that." Kris batted Taylor's hand away. "Please tell me?"

"Alright, but first, get driving."

Kris drove, waiting for Taylor to speak, but he wasn't saying a word. He was squinting, looking out the window into the dark.

"Well?" Kris asked. "I'm trying to be patient."

"Just... hush." Taylor replied, looking around. "There!"

"Where? What?" Kris asked, looking left and right.

Taylor pointed to the right and said, "Turn there! Right there!" He bounced in his seat like an excited child, making Kris laugh.

"Where are we?"

"Keep going, it's a dead end."

Kris looked at Taylor and asked, "How do you know?"

"I asked a girl at the bar in Chili's where a quiet place around here was to make out. She told me down this way."

Kris stopped the car, then turned off the ignition and headlights. He faced Taylor and smiled. They could barely see each other, but the beams of light from the city in the sky helped- silhouetting them both.

"Hurry. Get undressed." Taylor said, shedding his shirt.

"We're gonna... here? I thought we were going to make out?" Kris asked as he undid his pants. He had to take off his shoes to get his feet out of his pant legs.

"No we're taking advantage of the time we have. Kailey's asleep. Hurry dammit." Taylor said, stroking his cock to full hardness. "I have to warn you. This is going to be a quickie. We don't know when she'll wake up."

"Yea, I know. Where...?" Kris asked, looking outside.

"Here! Hands and knees, now."

Kris scrambled up and presented his ass to Taylor.

"Shit!" Taylor said as he slapped Kris's ass. "No lube... oh wait. Did you put some oil in the diaper bag?"

"Fuck! No, I didn't." Kris groaned.

Taylor slapped Kris's ass again. "What did you say?"

"Taylor!" Kris shook his head. "Why can you swear-"

"Shut up." Taylor said teasingly, reaching in the backseat and pulling one of the bags of food to the front seat. He stuck his hand inside and felt around. He grabbed a container and pulled it out. He raised it to his face, he tried to see what it was, but he couldn't tell. He opened the plastic lid and smelled it, then dipped a finger into the cup. He tasted his finger and nodded, then set the bag of food in the backseat again.

"Ok, I'm ready."

"Me too." Kris answered and raised his ass again. Almost immediately he felt the tip of Taylor's cock at his entrance. "What are you using for lube? UGH!" he grunted loudly, feeling his insides stretch and burn.

"Told you. It has to be a quickie." Taylor said before he bent over and kissed Kris's shoulder blade.

"Whew." Kris breathed out, making himself relax.

"Can I go at you yet?"

"Yea." Kris squeezed his eyes shut. "Please."

"You don't have to beg." Taylor joked as he inched his hips forward. "God it's so tight in here!"

"Well duh! You didn't get me ready." Kris replied with a smile in his voice.

"No, in the car Kris." Taylor laughed. "My shoulders and back are practically hitting the roof and I'm sure there's going to be a nice ass print on my window."

Kris got to laughing and forgot the slight sting inside him.

"You're nice and tight too, and so much more comfortable to be inside of." Taylor's breath whispered over Kris's body, causing him to shiver. He slid all the way in and sighed.

Kris moaned loudly, satisfied, when he felt the tickle of Taylor's pubic hair on his ass and the feeling of fullness inside himself.

Taylor felt completely consumed by Kris's hole. He drew his lean hips back and slowly re-entered Kris, a little faster each time.

Luke lifted his head off Noah's chest and commented, "I'm starving."

"Me too. I don't think I ate anything today." Noah replied.

Luke started to get off Noah's body. "Where are you going?" he asked Luke as he sat up on the couch.

"To the bathroom." Luke said standing before Noah. "Uh, could you come with and stand in the hall? Or is that too weird?"

Noah stood up too and took Luke's hand. "Nope, not weird. Lets' go."

When Luke and Noah were done, they walked hand in hand back to the couch, but instead of Luke lying on top of Noah, they sat next to each other.

"I wonder what's taking them so-" Luke began to say when there was rapid, loud knocking on their front door.

"Noah!" Luke yelled, shrinking into the couch.

"It's alright." Noah said with an easy smile. He stood up, walked to the door and looked through the peephole, seeing Taylor, and let him in.

"It's about time." Noah smiled.

"We had a little, uh, Kris got lost." Taylor said, walking inside and setting the bags of food on the counter.

"Where is Kris?" Luke asked when he joined them in the kitchen.

Taylor looked up and asked, "Bringing Kailey in. Are you ok?" He saw the grief in Luke's eyes and couldn't help but wonder what he could do for his roommate that Noah hadn't already done.

"I'm fine now. I freaked out when you knocked." Luke stated ashamed.

"Sorry. Kris has the keys and you obviously locked the door when we left." Taylor said sympathetically. "I hope I didn't freak you out too bad."

"No." Luke answered and smiled before he began to unpack the food with Noah.

"Taylor?" Kris yelled when he got through the front door.

"In here!" Taylor called back, snickering.

"Can you help me with Kailey?" he asked, hoping Taylor would come. He actually needed help with something else- something like a distraction for Luke and Noah.

"Bring her in here." Luke yelled. "We're going to eat and she can be a part of the family by watching or sleeping."

Kris rolled his eyes and cautiously stepped into the kitchen. "Here." he said to Taylor as he set the car seat on the floor.

"Kris, I want to ask you something." Taylor said with a teasing smile. "Tell Luke and Noah how you got lost."

Luke and Noah looked at Kris expecting an explanation, not that they were mad that their food was late, they wanted to hear how Kris got lost.

"Taylor was talking to me and I drove past Chili's that's all." Kris looked down at his bare feet and swore. "Shit."

"Kris." Taylor smirked.

"Sorry, but I just noticed how dirty my feet are." Kris said, then closed his mouth.

"Didn't you have on shoes or sandals when you left?" Luke asked, staring at Kris's feet.

"I did, but..." Kris looked from Taylor to Luke and felt cornered. "Um... Taylor and I had sex then I had to take a piss and I went outside without my shoes on. There!" Kris said so fast that Luke and Noah were still trying to understand what Kris had said when Kris turned and ran to his and Taylor's bedroom.

Noah came close to Luke's ear and asked, "Did you see the back of his jeans?"

"The ass of his jeans? Yea." Luke whispered back and giggled.

"Cum stain?" Noah suggested with a chuckle.

"Must be." Luke looked at Taylor and began to laugh.

"Ok." Taylor tilted his head and put one hand on the counter and the other on his hip. "Tell me neither one of you 'leak' when you're finished having sex." Taylor said with his brows raised.

Luke and Noah didn't say anything and they both looked sorry.

"See?" Taylor shook a finger at them, then leaned onto the counter and said in a quiet voice, "But it is pretty damn funny! Did you see his face? God I love teasing him. He gets so embarrassed. Love that kid." Taylor smiled and took plates down from the cupboard, then took them to the table.

Kris came out of the bathroom after taking a quick shower and changing into clean clothes. Everyone was waiting at the table for him with their food in front of them.

Kris shyly took his seat and couldn't meet anyone's eyes. He opened his styrofoam box just as Luke opened his.

Luke looked up and asked, "Wait, where's my caesar dressing?"

Kris's head shot up. He looked at Taylor in shock. "That's what you used for lube?" he blurted, then abruptly clamped his hand over his mouth. He pushed his chair back and stood up when he heard Luke and Noah trying not to laugh too loudly.

"Taylor!"he said, conveying with his eyes that he do something, but Taylor only shrugged and told him to sit down and eat.

"No, I'm not sitting down to eat! And for the record, I can swear when and where I want! Shit, Damn, Asshole, Bastard, Goddammit and Fuck YOU!" Kris yelled and walked quickly to the bedroom.

Taylor, Luke and Noah heard more swearing before the door slammed shut.

Kris sat on the bed, almost in tears because he felt like he was always the brunt of the joke. It wasn't his fault that Taylor took joy in embarrassing him. Now he felt like a child because he had stormed out of the dining room, and he was hungry. But he didn't know if he could face his roommates and Taylor after his outburst. He remembered that Luke once told him to grow up and be a man because Taylor wasn't going to put up with his childish behavior for long. _'Taylor doesn't want to raise two kids- an almost 22-year-old and an infant.'_

"I'm not going." Taylor said without looking at neither Luke or Noah. He picked up his veggie burger and took a bite. After he swallowed, he stated, "He can pout all he wants. I don't care."

"You better care Taylor Patterson!" Kris said with his arms crossed and his eyes burning into Taylor's.

"I'm happy you've decided to join us." Taylor said and picked up a sweet potato french fry. They were supposed to be healthier.

Kris took a seat without responding to Taylor. Instead, he looked at Luke and smiled as he touched his arm. "How are you?"

Luke winced and answered, "Kinda tired of everyone asking how I am. I'm fine. Maybe a little scared, but that will go away I'm sure."

Noah rubbed the muscle on the top of Luke's shoulder and said, "That's my boy. You'll be fine, I just know it."

**CHAPTER: 46**

RATED: NC-17 (rough and not nuke)

SUMMARY: Mostly Kris and Taylor.

WARNING: Out of Character. AU, Strong Language/alot of swearing, Sex

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*my mistakes and my editing

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After dinner and watching a late movie, Kris said he was going to bed, handed off Kailey for Taylor to burp, then he left.

Luke and Noah said goodnight to Taylor and Kailey, then climbed the stairs to the loft.

Noah walked up behind Luke. He moved the longish hair on the nape of Luke's neck and kissed the exposed skin. "Let me undress you."

"Noah--"

"It's ok. I'm **just** going to undress you and put you into bed. Let me take care of you. Ok?" Noah replied, running his hands up and down Luke's arms.

Luke nodded and felt Noah lift his shirt. He raised his arms and in a millisecond, his shirt was gone. He sighed, feeling Noah's finger drag down his chest to his navel, then dip into his waistband.

Noah used his other hand to unzip Luke's jeans. He looked down when he felt the natural heat radiating from Luke's crotch reach his hand. He looked up at Luke's face and licked his lips. Luke smiled and said, "Want me to finish?"

"No, I can do it." Noah said with a smile playing on his lips and lowered Luke's jeans and underwear to the floor. He raised Luke's one leg, then the other to completely remove his clothes from his body. He wanted to stand up slowly and enjoy the view, but he didn't. He quickly rose and walked to the bed.

"There." Noah said, pulling the blanket and sheet down. "Hop on in."

Luke stared at the back of Noah's head thinking that he may have never seen him again if Carson and Ty hadn't been interrupted. Noah turned around when he heard a small sob. He ran to Luke and hugged him, whispering that everything would be alright and kissing his tears as they fell.

"Come." Noah said, keeping an arm around Luke's body and walking him to the bed. He helped Luke get into bed before he undressed and climbed in right behind Luke. He spooned him close, but it wasn't close enough for Luke.

Luke sat up and asked, "Can you lay on your back and I lay between your legs with my head on your shoulder?"

Noah knew for a fact from past occurrences that this position was very uncomfortable after ten minutes. He wouldn't be able to move and it was hard to breathe with Luke's torso resting on him, but he nodded and said, "Of course."

Luke knelt between Noah's legs before he lowered his body to rest on Noah.

"Uh, ah, ah, ah!"

"What?" Luke asked.

"My dick! You're squishing it!" Noah winced in pain.

"Sorry!" Luke said and moved. He started giggling when Noah reached down and rubbed himself.

"Ouch."

"Want me to kiss it for you?" Luke asked jokingly, but after he said it, he wasn't so sure he was kidding around.

The room was devoid of any sound for a short while. Finally someone breathed. Noah waited for Luke to speak, and Luke waited for Noah to speak. Luke then realized that Noah hadn't said 'no' to his offer of 'kissing it' for him. _'Oh! Noah's waiting for me to start.'_

Luke grasped Noah's cock and began to get it hard with easy long strokes up and down the shaft.

Noah put his hand over Luke's hand and said, "No, you don't have to. I knew you were kidding."

"Noah, I could be lying in those woods dead, or dying right now without a hope of ever seeing you again. Noah, I need to... to... feel you." Luke said.

Noah noticed that Luke was about to cry again. He quickly spoke up, "Ok. What will help you right now?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know. I want to feel you inside, but I want to feel you inside me. Yes, that's it." Luke said nodding. "I want to feel you inside me. Make love to me. Take care of me."

Noah wiped his eyes and said, "I will. Always. Come down here first- and watch out for my little buddy down there." He held his arms open. Luke giggled as he fell onto Noah and hugged him.

"I love you Luke."

"Love you." Luke responded just before he kissed Noah's neck, then his ear. "I love you." he whispered and ran his tongue from Noah's ear to his jaw. "Love you so much."

Noah sighed, then it dawned on him that Luke should be receiving all this attention. With a quick flip of their bodies, Noah was on top, staring at Luke. "You're beautiful."

Luke blushed and raised his head to kiss Noah's shapely lips. Noah met him halfway and engaged his tongue in a game of tag. He pressed his hips tighter against Luke's, feeling him harden on his stomach, then felt a series of twitches and jumps from Luke's erection.

"Noah?"

"You got it babe." Noah said, knowing what Luke needed. He kissed Luke's hungry, wanting, needing mouth once more before rising off him to get the lube.

Taylor finished burping his daughter. He changed her diaper and put her in pajamas, then carried her to the nursery. Before he laid her down in the crib, he gave her a kiss and whispered, "Goodnight Kailey. Daddy loves you. Sweet dreams." he set her down and smiled and started to walk out of the room then stopped to say, "Actually sweetie, I'll probably see you in a couple of hours." Taylor walked into his and Kris's bedroom and saw that Kris had already turned on the baby monitor and that his fiancé was either sleeping or pretending to- just to avoid talking to him.

Taylor undressed. He didn't usually sleep naked, but tonight, he took off his underwear too, then he stared at Kris. He walked to the blond's side of the bed and put his underwear on Kris's face to see what he'd do. If he was asleep, he wouldn't do anything, if he was awake, he'd sit up and confront Taylor.

Taylor waited a mere second before he heard a deep intake of air, then an angry exhale. Kris removed the article of clothing from his face and threw it. He gave Taylor a nasty look and laid back down, covering his head with the blanket.

Taylor watched him with a small smile on his face, knowing that his smirk probably made Kris madder. Taylor pulled off the blankets and whipped them on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kris sat up, trying to cover his body from Taylor's stare.

"What do you think? If you're going to act like a child, I'm going to treat you like one. Now," Taylor rubbed his chin. "what to do with you?"

"Get bent Taylor. I'm not amused and I'm not playing along." Kris muttered angrily and laid back down. "Leave me alone."

"Nope. Not a chance in hell." Taylor pursed his lips. "Hm..."

Kris frowned, then after a bit, he asked, "Hm, what?"

"I'm just staring at your ass. I should have eaten you out tonight. Caesar dressing flavored ass. Yum."

Kris closed his eyes, trying not to imagine how that would have felt if Taylor had licked him and tongued him earlier. He grimaced when his cock began to grow. He turned onto his stomach so Taylor wouldn't see.

"Too bad we didn't have time. Oh well." Taylor stared at Kris's body. "Hey!" he said as if he just thought of something, but he knew how to 'get to' Kris and play him. "We have dressing here. Since you're already in the position...."

"No. I don't wanna." Kris said. His erection was straining between his body and the mattress. He pushed his face into the pillow and groaned. "Mmphh"

Taylor grinned widely. Kris was so predictable. "You alright there kiddo?"

"Yes!" Kris answered. "Good fucking night!" Kris heard Taylor chuckle and wanted to slap him. His laugh only infuriated him more.

"Do you want to-"

Kris was short with Taylor. He muttered a strong, "No."

Taylor scratched his head. Maybe he went to far this time? "Alright. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, but I don't think I did anything wrong."

Kris huffed and turned over, intentionally keeping his eyes above Taylor's waist. "You don't think you did anything? What about making me tell Noah and Luke why my feet were dirty and all that other shit!" he yelled.

"I didn't **make** you do anything. You're the one who blurted everything out."

"But you get off on me being like this.... this bumbling idiot who runs off at the mouth when he gets nervous! That's not fair or nice to do that to someone you supposedly love!" Kris shouted, becoming furious.

"Cool it." Taylor said and sat next to Kris.

Kris scoffed and scrambled to Taylor's side of the bed. "I want to go to sleep!"

"Not until we resolve this. I do like teasing you and it's not to humiliate you or make you feel like an idiot. I love you." Taylor crawled onto the bed, sitting next to Kris, who was lying on his side, facing away from him. Taylor's fingers twirled Kris's hair until Kris batted his hand away seconds later.

"I'm really pissed off. Do not touch me. I'm sure I'll be ok in the morning when all this shit has blown over and Luke and Noah don't look at me like I'm a joke."

"They don't think that. Even you know that!" Taylor assured Kris. He heard the blond grind his teeth and cringed.

"Don't fucking tell me what I know and don't know!" Kris loudly grumbled in frustration.

"Ok, that's it. I've had enough of your fucking shit! This ends now Kris. Right now. Got it?" Taylor stared at the back of Kris's head. "I said, Got It?"

Kris's eyes were burning with anger.

Taylor shoved Kris's shoulder and said irately, "Hey, shithead, are you fucking listening to me?"

"I heard you, asshole." Kris's muttered and almost laughed.

Taylor said in a gruff voice, "Good! Are we settled then?"

"Settled?" Kris frowned.

Taylor rolled his eyes and got off the bed. He went to his dresser. "Yes, settled. As in, are you going to forgive me for what you think I did?"

Kris shook his head, then decided it wasn't worth fighting about. "Fine. But I'm still pissed off."

"That's your prerogative." Taylor walked to the bed and sucked on his upper teeth before he jumped on Kris. He tossed the lube on the pillow after he straddled Kris. He held Kris's wrists above his head and looked at him.

Kris stared back. He wasn't afraid or cowering, he was mad. "Get your naked ass off of me!"

"What if I say.... no?" Taylor looked into Kris's intense, blue eyes.

Kris tried to buck Taylor off, but Taylor began to moan and that was when Kris saw Taylor's cock harden and begin to bob with each push of his hips to get Taylor off him.

Kris stopped moving. With a penetrating gaze, he let Taylor know he was not giving in.

Taylor smiled and licked the corners of his mouth. He lowered his head slightly so that his eyes had that devilish look in them. He spoke, "Here's what's going to happen Kris. You are going to-"

"I'm not doing shit!" he yelled then out came a muffled, "mmmph" when Taylor kissed his lips hard to quiet him.

Kris turned his head and looked up at his immobile hands. "Let me go."

"Are you going to fight me?"

"No."

Taylor slowly let Kris's wrists go. Kris immediately slapped Taylor's arm.

"What did you do that for?" Taylor rubbed his arm as he gave Kris a look of displeasure.

"That was for treating me like shit tonight! For kissing me like you just did and for sitting on me when I explicitly told you to get off!"

"I AM going to get off Kris." Taylor leaned down so his face was right in Kris's face. "And you're going to help."

"Fuck you." Kris turned his head away, but Taylor brought it back to look into his eyes.

"Fuck me? Fuck ME? Fine. Fuck me Kris. If that's what it'll take." Taylor's eyes became impassioned. "C'mon."

"Wh-What?"

"I said fuck me. Are you man enough or just a kid?" Taylor intentionally provoked him.

That made Kris madder. He sat up and pushed Taylor to the side and grabbed the lube that had been tossed on the bed. "You asked for it you got it!" he said more to himself than Taylor. He unscrewed the cap, then looked at Taylor, deciding which way he wanted him. He definitely wanted him from behind because he was angry. But the thought of Taylor's neighbor doing it that way made him hesitate and rethink his preference.

"Well?" Taylor asked, "What are you gonna do? Looks like you don't know what you're doing at all. Do you?" Taylor's laugh taunted Kris.

He grit his teeth and said, "Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear anymore shit come out of that fucking mouth of yours for the rest of the fucking night!"

Taylor raised his eyebrows. Kris was turning him on like something crazy. He wasn't expecting anything like this. His eyes left Kris's and traveled down his body to his erection. _'Must be turning him on too. Angry sex for the win!'_

"And wipe that smile off your fucking... perfect... fucking face too!"

Taylor pressed his lips together, but a laugh bubbled up and his chest heaved as he held it in.

Kris looked at him suspiciously, but he didn't say a word. He lubed up his erection and looked at Taylor again. "Spread your legs and raise 'em high. Use a pillow."

Taylor reached behind himself and took the pillow he was lying on. He raised his hips and put the pillow underneath himself, then spread and raised his legs.

"Over my shoulder. Hurry up." Kris said impatiently when Taylor didn't move fast enough. "You want this?" he asked Taylor.

Taylor nodded, his eyes sparkling and his breath coming out in short rasps due to the anticipation of Kris topping him. "Come on, you sexy motherfucker."

Kris wanted to smile, but he wouldn't give in to that emotion. He frowned angrily at Taylor, then he looked down and held his upturned cock low and put it at Taylor's opening. He had some trouble getting it in, but eventually he passed the barrier.

"AH, UHHHMMM" Taylor groaned and closed his eyes.

Kris thought he hurt him and started to apologize. "Sor-"

"I'm fine. It feels good, you know? You know, like, how good it feels scratching a mosquito bite. Well, that's a dumb comparison, but you get it."

"Yea, now shut up like I told you before! I'll show you how a real man fucks!" Kris said, recalling how angry he had been mere minutes ago. He pushed in a little more than at slow pace. The last time he'd been inside of Taylor was back at his birthday party when Taylor was drunk. He wondered if Taylor was enjoying himself right now. He looked at the sheer look of ecstasy on his face and knew he was.

Kris pulled his hips away and held onto Taylor's legs when he rushed back in, several times.

"Ohhh... Kris... you're... unbelievable.... fucking great...." Taylor managed to gasp out before he reached for him, but Kris shook his head- not wanting to be touched.

"Dammit. Get over yourself already!" Taylor grumbled loudly.

Kris stopped his movement and stared at Taylor, throwing daggers at him.

"C'mon badass," Taylor said in a rough voice as he raised his hips. "show me how big of a boy you really are!"

Kris closed his eyes and swallowed. _'If this is what Taylor wants, then it's what he'll get. He keeps making stupid remarks and mocking me. OH! He knows what he's doing, the shit! He WANTS me angry. Fine!'_

Kris continued to ram into Taylor as they stared into each others glowering eyes.

"You sick fuck. You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Taylor smiled and winked. "God yes! It makes me feel like a slut to spread my legs for your dick." He arched his neck back and moaned when Kris picked up his cock and pumped it.

"You like angry sex, angry fucking- I can tell. You like me talking dirty to you too don't you? Just not in the way you talk dirty to me. You like it nasty."

Taylor sighed with pleasure, but made a face when Kris's fingers left his cock.

"I'm not going to make you cum. Do it yourself, I'm busy getting myself to the edge of cumming." Kris stated, seeing a flash of amusement in Taylor's eyes.

Taylor said to Kris, with one corner of his mouth raised, "Son of a bitch." Taylor reached down and grabbed his cock, giving it a few quick jerks, before going full force.

Kris plunged in deeper with long jabs and slow withdrawals. He held on tightly to Taylor's legs, squeezing the muscle. When he thought he couldn't control himself anymore, he moaned and said in a husky voice, "I love the way it sounds when I fuck you so hard. Hear it?"

Taylor did hear it. He murmured, "Use your mouth on me."

Kris widened Taylor's legs and wrapped them around his waist so he could whisper into Taylor's ear.

"What, you want me to kiss you? Not a chance, you fucking slut." Kris said panting in Taylor's ear.

Taylor turned his head into the side of Kris's head. He breathed heavily on his neck, indicating his urgency. "That's it.... keep talking. God you're so damn gorgeous."

By the way Taylor was gasping and rapidly moving his fist between their bodies, Kris knew what he had to do. He began whispering coarse words into Taylor's ear.

Pleasure ripped through every part of Taylor's body. Pinpoints of light behind his eyelids exploded. He gasped, moaned, cried out, clutched Kris's body and moaned again as he came all over their chests.

Kris leaned back and held Taylor's firm, writhing ass, then with a growl, he fucked Taylor savagely. With each hammering thrust he grunted and stared into Taylor's eyes- at the beautiful, handsome man beneath him.

As Kris's face transformed into one of ecstasy, Taylor said, "Cum Kris."

"Uhnnnggg! !" Kris cried out as the first volley left his cock. His sudden outburst of passion startled Taylor, just for a moment.

"You can do better than that." Taylor said, running his hands up and down Kris's body. He felt Kris's rhythm change. "My god... that... feels good!" Taylor exclaimed, moving his hips with Kris's.

Kris continued to cum, and thrust until he was empty. His breath was hot and coming out in gasps. His forehead and hair was damp, and so was his chest and abdomen. His own sweat mixed with the cum on his chest, Taylor's cum.

"Mm, kiddo, your face when you're inside me is breathtaking and when you cum, you look heavenly." Taylor said, pushing Kris onto his back and rolling on top of him. He commenced kissing Kris's chest, nipping at an erect nipple and made his way to Kris's neck. "God I love you."

"I love-"

_fussing and crying_

Kris stopped mid-sentence and tried to sit up.

"Just leave her. She'll go back to sleep." Taylor said, pressing Kris's chest down. He kissed his fiancé's lips and hummed his pleasure.

_louder crying_

Kris palmed Taylor's face and broke their kiss. "Dammit."

"Trust me sweet boy. She'll go to sleep in a second. Kiss me with that naughty, dirty mouth you have."

_incessant crying and wailing_

"Aw shit!" Taylor mumbled and sat up.

"Go make the bottle, I'll get her." Kris said with a smirk. He watched Taylor walk bare assed out of the room. "He has no shame whatsoever." he snickered. "Luke and Noah are upstairs, who cares."

Kris rose out of bed and took a handful of tissues to wipe his chest off before he went to get Kailey. He walked into her room with a soft, high voice.

"Hi Kailey. How's my girl?" He smiled down on his daughter, squirming and shaking her fists. He leaned down and picked her up. He cradled her in his arms, making sure her blanket was still snug around her small body. He kissed her cheek as held her close. She quieted down a little now that someone had her, but Kris knew she was hungry. He went to his and Taylor's bed and laid her in the center of the bed.

"There. You can eat between your daddy's. Would you like that?" Kris smiled with love and tenderness at her. He gently stroked her cheek with his finger as he spoke, "You're so pretty Kailey. Yes you are. You look just like your dad- your other dad I mean. Where is he, you ask? He's making you a bottle. Isn't he the best daddy in the whole world?"

"Here you go." Taylor rushed into the room, his manhood swaying as he walked.

"Oh god." Kris breathed heavily at the delicious scene coming toward him.

"Feed her, then maybe later I'll feed you this." Taylor grabbed his dick and shook it at Kris. He laughed at Kris's wide eyed expression and handed the bottle to him.

Taylor laid on the other side, with Kailey between him and Kris. "She's precious." Taylor said proudly, touching her head and hair.

"Mm, I agree." Kris smiled, holding the bottle to their daughter's lips. She opened like a baby bird and took the nipple. She began sucking hungrily while she still whined her displeasure at having to wait for her bottle.

"If she looks like you when she grows up, we're in trouble." Kris stated, admiring her dark, almost black hair and blue eyes.

"That's why she'll never grow up. She'll always be our baby girl." Taylor leaned over Kailey to kiss Kris's lips.

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Noah took the whole week off of work to stay with Luke. Mrs. Connor understood when Noah told her that Luke had been hurt by two guys. In a strange way, Noah felt responsible, even though in his heart he knew he wasn't. He was riddled with 'what if's' and 'I should have's'. He wished that he had been nicer to Luke at the airport, he wished they had got on the plane despite their fight, he wished things had been different.

"What do you want to do today?" Noah asked Luke in bed later in the week. They had just awoken to another sunny California day. Kris surely was at school, he took Taylor's car now, and Taylor was most likely downstairs with Kailey.

"Can we stay here for a while? I want you to hold me." Luke replied.

"I'll hold you forever." Noah opened his arms and welcomed Luke to lay on his body. Luke eagerly took the invitation. He needed Noah so much right now. Especially right now.

"You're everything to me." Noah said, running his hands carefully up and down Luke's back. The swollen welts had gone, leaving red marks that were fading. The scratches had formed scabs and were healing nicely.

"You too." Luke murmured with a slight smile at the feeling of Noah's chest rising and falling- at the same time his was. Noah was his everything, his addiction, his forever. He knew in his heart of hearts that he found his mate. His heart swelled when he was suddenly overcome with emotion. Quietly, tears fell from his eyes and splashed on Noah's bare chest.

Noah held him tighter, his heart breaking for Luke. He'd been teary for most of the week and Noah did his best to comfort him and take care of him.

"Wanna talk?" Noah asked carefully.

Luke breathed a whisper, "No, hold me."

Noah decided there was no place he'd rather be and no job was as important as the job of taking care of his Luke. HIS Luke. He wanted nothing more than to marry him right now, today, or as late as tomorrow. He wanted Luke to feel safe and secure within his arms and their marriage vows, but he knew it wasn't the right time- not after such a tormenting experience, but he really wanted to make Luke happy. It would also make him happy as well.

"I've been thinking." Noah said, combing Luke's hair gently with his fingers.

Luke sniffled and looked up. His eyes were still glassy, but his tears had stopped. "About what?" he asked almost frightened to hear the answer.

Noah gave him a smile, one that assured Luke that everything was ok. "I know you want children after we get married. So..."

Luke raised his eyebrows high. He was afraid to speak, afraid to make the assumption, afraid that Noah would say something else and dash all hopes of him becoming a father. Could they be thinking the same thing right now or was Luke misunderstanding and jumping to conclusions again?

Noah slowly slipped his hand to the back of Luke's head and brought his face close. "I think you'd make an excellent father Luke, but you'd have to help me become just as good as you."

Fresh tears fell from Luke's eyes just before Noah kissed his lips. They kissed, talked and snuggled all morning.

**CHAPTER: 47- epilogue**

RATED/WARNING: Out of Character. AU, Some Language and Sex

SUMMARY: Luke and Noah's marriage.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and storyline/plot are the property of september(25). No copyright infringement is intended.

*my mistakes and my editing.

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**[one year later]**

"Come on Kris, get your a-s-s in gear." Taylor said, spelling out the word ass.

"She's having fun. Look at her." Kris said of Kailey, who was sitting in the bathtub splashing around. She was just over a year old now and had begun walking the week before, making her daddy's very proud. So proud that they had gone to a toy store and bought her a little tykes rocking horse to ride on.

"Get her out of the tub. We have to go soon." Tyler said, laughing at Kailey as she splashed Kris.

"Dammit!" Kris stood up and looked at his wet, spotted slacks.

"Mouth Kris." Taylor warned with a sharp look.

"Up." Kailey said, lifting her arms.

Taylor grabbed a towel and picked up her slippery, wet body and took her to her room. He dressed her in a frilly, flowery, purple, pink and white dress with white tights and white shoes while Kris dried his pant leg with Luke's hairdryer.

"Ready?" Taylor called out to his husband of six months.

"Yea." Kris walked out of the bathroom with a smile for his daughter. She was wobbling side to side, trying to walk a straight line. "My don't you look pretty!" he grinned and picked her up to kiss her cheek. Her dark hair and bright blue eyes made her the most beautiful toddler in his eyes. She looked just like Taylor with a little Cassandra thrown in.

"Come on or we'll be late." Taylor said, pulling Kris along by pressing his hand on the small of his back. "Shi- shoot!" he said and ran back to their bedroom. He took the rings that Luke and Noah had bought a while ago and pocketed them. "Remind me to give you Luke's ring when we get to the park."

"Gotchya."

"Ok, I think we're set."

"Nope." Kris smiled at his husband. "Get the diaper bag."

"Damn- I mean Darn it!" Taylor said, it was so hard for him not to swear, since he'd been doing it since he was a teenager. He grabbed the bag and headed out to his car.

At the park, Taylor and Kris approached Luke and Noah. They looked attractive, wearing matching tux's, but different shades of blue on their ties and vests.

"Thank god you're here." Noah said, looking at Kailey. "You're a pretty girl aren't you?" he grinned at her and took her hand.

Noah asked Taylor, "Did you remember the rings?"

"Yes." Taylor said and hugged Noah. "I'm so happy for you both. This is going to be the best day of your lives." he said and eyed Luke. "You both look very handsome."

"Thanks." Luke said, standing up straighter before sliding his arm around Noah's waist.

Kris happened to look to his right and grinned. "Oh! My parents are here. I'm heading over there so they can watch Kailey during the ceremony."

"Here's the diaper bag." Taylor said, putting the strap through Kris's arm and straightening it on his shoulder.

Luke turned to look inside the tent. People were being seated in the white chairs by Jorge. Martha was fixing the flowers on the makeshift 'alter'. Luke was really nervous and squeezed Noah's waist. "Our boss, Mrs. Connor is here, my editor and the photographers too."

"I'm going to talk to Kris, you two get ready." Taylor said, checking his watch. "The show starts in ten minutes."

Noah turned to Luke and smiled. "Are you happy babe?"

Luke nodded and smiled shyly. "I'm really happy. You?"

"Very happy. You make me so happy. I can't see myself without you. You have made me into the man I am today." Noah said, trying not to get emotional.

"Could you believe that almost two years ago something like this would come out of you moving in to the townhouse?"

"Sort of." Noah smiled and touched Luke's face with love. "When I first saw you, I wanted to get to know you better. If it weren't for us chasing Taylor and trying to date him, I don't know if we would have spent so much talking."

"Hm, possibly. Going back and forth, arguing and joking around was like days of foreplay for me." Luke laughed.

The music began. Taylor and Kris took their places by the judge who would marry their roommates. Luke and Noah stood at the rear of the tent and walked forward on the rose petals their adopted 5 year old son, Michael, was spreading before them. He had been adopted almost a year ago to the day. When he finished spreading red and white rose pedals, he turned around and kissed his two dad's, then went to sit with his grandparents Lilly and Holden, aunts Natalie and Faith, and uncle Ethan.

Noah had finally convinced Luke to call them after they adopted Michael. He didn't want their son to miss out on having an extended family. Lilly and Holden were ecstatic to hear from Luke and apologized for being so narrow sighted about his choice of profession as a porn writer. Luke now modeled part-time, but most of the time, he took care of Michael and wrote children's books. Michael took a seat between His great grandma Lucinda and grandmother Lilly.

Luke and Noah stood before the judge, glancing at Taylor and Kris. They gave them bright smiles and faced Judge Mary Young.

When the time came, Taylor handed Noah his ring to put on Luke's finger and Kris handed Luke the ring to put on Noah's finger. It was like Kris and Taylor's ceremony, only reversed. Luke and Noah were their best men too.

After their 'I do's' Luke and Noah turned around and saw Cassandra and Amber waving, they had arrived a little late and took seats in the back. They had been in charge of the caterer, who had gotten lost. They had to give directions to the park. The bakery had been on time and delivered the cake. Everything was set up in another tent.

Luke and Noah kept their own last names. They couldn't see changing them and it would be too hard to decide if it should have been Snyder-Mayer or the other way around. The crowd clapped as Luke and Noah kissed, and kissed, and kissed.

Taylor laughed. "Save it for the honeymoon!" he yelled.

Luke and Noah separated, staring into each others eyes with desire. "I love you Luke." Noah said, playing with the hair behind Luke's ear.

"I love you too." Luke smiled, his hands on Noah's chest. "Shall we?" He asked, motioning to the aisle.

Noah nodded and hooked his arm with Luke's as they walked back down the aisle. The crowd stood up. Congratulations were spoken as they passed the guests.

Kris and Taylor made the toast before everyone raised their glasses and clinked spoons against them. Luke and Noah kissed, yet again.

"Noah," Luke whispered in Noah's ear. "All this kissing is getting me turned on. Is there somewhere we can go to be alone?" Luke looked around, beyond the tent.

Noah snickered and reached under the table. He rubbed Luke's leg slowly, teasing Luke. He looked around as well and whispered back, there are the woods over there. We could walk in and be alone. If we get caught, it's a night in jail though for public indecency.

"I don't care. I have to have you now."

"Can't wait for tonight at the hotel?"

"No. Besides, I don't intend on sleeping tonight. I'm going to take you every which way you can imagine." Luke smiled sexily. "Every Way Noah." he said softly in Noah's ear, his breath tickling it.

"Ok, now." Noah said to Luke as he rose from his chair. He announced to the guests. "I think it's time to line up and eat. Luke and I want everyone else to go first." He turned to Luke and said, "There, they'll be busy eating and won't miss us. Let's go."

Luke grabbed a napkin off the table to clean Noah up with afterwards, then they quickly walked away.

Once deep in the woods, they looked around. "It's dense enough here." Noah said, cupping Luke's face and leaning towards him. He kissed Luke with a sigh on his lips. Luke moaned as he desperately opened Noah's pants, then his own. They broke apart to lower their offending clothing, then crashed into each other again. Kissing lips, necks, throats, and ears.

"Don't wanna wait." Noah gasped, catching his breath with a scintillating look in his eyes for Luke. Only for Luke.

"Me either." Luke said, his eyes glistening radiantly as he pulled Noah close, but it wasn't close enough. "Ready?"

"Always." Noah said and ran his tongue across Luke's lips, capturing the bottom one between his teeth and gently bit it. A soft moan came from Luke. He took the moment to grasp Noah's ass, bringing his hips forward roughly. Their erections ground against each other and their kiss became deeper and more urgent. Luke pulled away. He bent down to get the small, plastic container of 'Moist' from his pocket.

Kris and Taylor looked around. "Where did they go?" Kris asked, squinting his eyes, looking for Luke and Noah.

"I have a feeling their honeymoon has begun. Maybe they went to the limo?" Taylor chuckled.

Kris's eyes widened, "You mean for sex?"

"Yes Kris." Taylor shook his head. "We did. We couldn't wait to consummate our marriage. Remember?"

"We still do Taylor." Kris smiled and covered Taylor's hand with his own.

"Since mom has Kailey, wanna go celebrate Luke and Noah's wedding?"

Kris gasped. "Here?"

"No not 'here'-- in the car or the woods." Taylor rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking? We'd do it in front of the guests?"

"NO! I just meant 'here' as in, at the wedding reception. Not in the tent you dink. Sorry, you don't like that word.... you dick." Kris laughed, raised Taylor's hand and licked his palm.

Taylor inhaled fast and deep and exhaled slow with a quiet groan. "I love it when you use that tongue of yours to lick me. So sexy."

"I know, and I use it to my advantage!" Kris stated as Cassandra and Amber approached them to talk briefly.

Noah felt the ridge of Luke's cock inside him. He tilted his hips, urging Luke inside. He felt Luke's full and thick cock slide into his wet, burning, stretching hole with precision. He relished the amount of pleasure that the thickness released in his body.

Heat enveloped Luke's erection, opening his senses ten fold. He took an energized inhalation of air before he began long, slow rhythmic glides and thrusts that would provide delightful and satisfying friction to push them both to the edge of cumming. Luke's hands tenderly trailed up, then down Noah's back causing a tingling sensation. Goosebumps rose and a sensual moan came from Noah's mouth. Luke kissed Noah's back and said, "I love the feel of your hard muscles."

"I love the feel of your hard muscle inside me." Noah giggled.

Luke grinned and snuggled up to Noah, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on Noah's back. The weight of Luke's torso made Noah lurch forward, but Luke caught him. As he laughed, Noah braced himself better. He spread his hands a little further apart on the fallen log and asked, "Ready for more. You know, we have to get back and cut the cake."

"Fuck the cake." Luke said, not caring.

"No, fuck me. Get to it." Noah smiled.

"So demanding and bossy...." Luke feigned astonishment. He growled, "I like it." and pushed into Noah hard and fast with abandon. They both had to suppress their loud grunts and passion filled words when they came.

Luke and Noah walked out of the woods and snuck back to the party.

Crystal walked to Cassandra and Amber. She handed Kailey to Cassandra before she spoke, "Kris, Taylor and your daughter is lovely."

"She is, isn't she?" Cassandra smiled and smoothed Kailey's hair down.

"She's a perfect lady too. She sat on Ron's lap through the ceremony and didn't make one sound. Except to say 'Uca' when she pointed to Luke and Noah."

"They are like uncles." Kris said to his mom. "We're going to miss them when they move." he said sadly.

Taylor said with disbelief, "Kris! They're JUST moving into the townhouse a few doors down. I'm sure Michael doesn't like sharing a bedroom with Kailey."

"I know, but I'll miss seeing them for breakfast, movie night and just seeing them walking around- talking to them."

Taylor leaned into Kris and said, "Think of it this way. When Kailey's napping, we can walk around naked. We can eat naked, watch a movie naked- let it all hang out."

"Have sex naked." Kris teased quietly.

"Yea." Taylor laughed. "Plus kiddo, we can have sex in any room we want."

"God...." Kris squeaked. "You're giving me a hard on."

"Oh?" Taylor raised his brows. "I have two holes. Which one do you prefer?"

"At the moment, mouth." Kris's belly was topsy turvy with the thought of Taylor deep throating him.

"I'm glad you said that, cuz this food didn't do it for me. I'm craving Kris cum."

"Where can we go?" Kris asked, seeing Noah and Luke enter the tent. "Shit." he muttered. "They're back."

"Guess we have to stay for cake." Taylor said, sneakily reaching under the table. The lower half of their bodies were covered by the long table cloth. "I have an idea, but.... hm."

"No... uh-uh. Nope. You say ABOVE the table." Kris grunted when Taylor grazed his hand up the length of his hard cock. "D- D- Don't." Kris said unconvincingly. "mmm"

Taylor licked the outer part of Kris's ear and whispered, "Shh, just relax and no one will notice." he looked around to make sure the coast was clear before he ducked under the table.

Kris hitched his breath when he felt Taylor fiddling with his pants and his zipper being lowered. He placed his hands on the table and looked down. Taylor looked up and grinned before he stuck his tongue out and guided Kris's cock into his mouth. Kris quickly looked up, feeling that everyone was staring at him, but not one pair of eyes were on him. He licked his lips and gasped when he felt Taylor's suction increase.

"Ahhhh" Kris involuntarily moaned and immediately closed his mouth again. _'I can't believe he's doing this here, with all these people around! No, I can. He's so out there and I love it! God.... that perfected twirl around the head of my dick... Damn he's good. Uhhh, yea that's it. Play with my nuts. Mmmm... fuck I want to cum already... but I don't. Oh shit... I'm g- gonn- gonna.... any second.'_

"Hi Kris." Luke said with a grin. "Thank you for being my best man."

"Ummm" Kris couldn't look up or Luke would see the enraptured look on his face.

"Do you know where Taylor is. Noah wants to thank him too."

"Ah!" Kris shook his head.

Luke looked at Kris strangely. "Are you alright?"

Kris nodded as he began to move his hips slightly.

"It was a perfect wedding, wasn't it? The day is gorgeous, everyone came, the food was good. Everything went without a hitch and-"

"Mmuuu..." Kris let out a squeak as he began to cum.

Luke watched Kris with wonder. He felt Noah's arm wrap around his shoulders and smiled at his husband.

"Ohhh goddddd... umm-uhhh" Kris gasped, rasped and breathed raggedly.

Noah whispered, "We should go somewhere else."

"I think there's something wrong with him." Luke whispered back. "Maybe he's having a bad reaction to the food....?"

"I think he's having a reaction alright." Noah said and knocked on the table and heard, "Is the coast clear?"

Noah looked around and said, "Yes."

Taylor crawled out from under the table and sat next to Kris, whose face was red from his orgasm and embarrassment.

Luke's eyes got big and he began laughing. He saw Taylor wipe the corners of his mouth.

"Anything on my face?" he asked, smirking at Noah.

"Nothing that I can see... oh wait, you have some white frosting on your chin." Noah teased.

"That's funny considering you haven't cut the cake yet." Taylor took Kris's hand and snickered. "You ok kiddo?"

Kris nodded and looked up, receiving two thumbs up from Luke and Noah. He smiled and shook his head. "Thank god it was you two and not my parents or someone else."

Kris and Taylor watched Michael while Noah and Luke went on their honeymoon to the Cayman Islands. They had a villa with its own white sandy beach. They went snorkeling, sailing, shopping and sightseeing. They bought gifts for Kris, Tyler and Kailey and of course Michael. He was a little spoiled, but he was a good kid. His parents had died in an accident and the only relatives he had were ones that didn't want him. Luke and Noah fostered him briefly and fell in love with him. They adopted him as fast as Lucinda Walsh could push past the red tape.

Luke and Noah were lying outside on their private beach after they'd made love in the sun with the sound of the waves crashing to shore.

Noah sighed happily and sat up. "Shit!"

"What?" Luke asked, sitting up as well. He looked at Noah, wondering what had Noah upset.

Noah looked down and said with a chuckle, "I think my dick is sunburned." he laughed and rolled over on top of Luke, easing him to the blanket gently. He nuzzled and kissed his neck, murmuring, "I love you. I love you so much. I've dreamed of being married, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be like this."

Luke grinned, equally happy at his fortune. I love you too Noah."

The end.

Thanks for comments and I'm sorry I've neglected to post this for so long.


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